Bull Angl 411 June 2019.qxp_Bull angl n° 401 August 2018 29/11/2019 18:28 Page 1

INSTITUT

KURDDE PARIS E

Information and liaison bulletin N° 413

AUGUST 2019 Bull Angl 411 June 2019.qxp_Bull angl n° 401 August 2018 29/11/2019 18:28 Page 2

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www.fikp.org E-mail: bulletin@fikp.org Bull Angl 411 June 2019.qxp_Bull angl n° 401 August 2018 29/11/2019 18:28 Page 1

Information and liaison bulletin Kurdish Institute of Paris Bulletin N° 413 August 2019

• ROJAVA: CAN THE SECURITY ZONE PREVENT A TURKISH INVASION?

• TURKEY: ECONOMY IN CRISIS AND GROWING OPPOSITION TO ERDO AN; NEW ATTACKS ON FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

• TURKEY: NUMEROUS PROTESTS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AFTER THE DISMISSAL OF NEW HDP MAYORS

• IRAQ: CONTINUING DISAGREEMENTS OVER THE BUDGET; INTENSIFICATION OF JIHADIST ATTACKS

• YEZIDI GENOCIDE: 3 AUGUST DESIGNATED AS A “DAY OF REMEMBRANCE” BY THE KURDISTAN PARLIAMENT

• JIHADISTS IMPRISONED IN ROJAVA: WESTERN COUNTRIES FLEE THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES

• IRAN: CHILLING THREATS FROM THE REGIME TO OPPONENTS, NUMEROUS CONVICTIONS OF KURDISH ACTIVISTS

• IN MEMORIAM: DEATH OF ERAFETTIN GÜRBÜZ

ROJAVA: CAN THE SECURITY ZONE PREVENT A TURKISH INVASION? n 1st August, the 13th ISIS coalition, had not been invited. Turkey has obtained a ceasefire conference on the Syrian The discussion focused on the Idleb from Damascus, on condition that conflict was held in Nur- region, the country's last rebel the rebels move back 20 km from Sultan (new name of stronghold, now totally overcrowd- the de-escalation line and withdraw O Astana, capital of ed, which has been under siege by their heavy and medium weapons. Kazakhstan), bringing together the Russian-backed Damascus Fragile truce: the regime has often Russia, Iran and Turkey, as well as army for months with intense bom- previously broken its commit- delegations from the Damascus bardments. Ankara, for its part, ments, and Turkey, which had regime and the Syrian opposition wishes to avoid a massive offen- promised to disarm the “moderate” supported by Turkey. The sive, which would precipitate mil- rebels, has not succeeded.... Autonomous Administration of lions of refugees on its territory, North-East Syria, dominated by the which already hosts more than The summit largely failed. The par- Kurds of the PYD (Party of three million: with the economic ticipants were unable to reach an Democratic Unity) and military crisis, their presence has become a agreement on how the Committee partner of the Washington-led anti- real domestic political problem. tasked with drafting the future Bull Angl 411 June 2019.qxp_Bull angl n° 401 August 2018 29/11/2019 18:28 Page 2

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Syrian constitution should operate, weapons and ammunition to the as its setting-up had to be delayed. rebels. Tension quickly increased, The indiscriminate firing by the Nor did the negotiators succeed in with the Turkish Foreign Minister Turkish army, which has been taking bringing lasting peace to the situa- warning Syria on 20 July “not to place for months or even years in tion on the ground: as early as the play with fire”. But on the 23rd, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, forcing 3rd, the “moderate” rebels they once the rebels had withdrawn the evacuation of many villages, is hoped to separate from the jihadists from Khan Shaykhun, the Syrian also targeting Kurdistan in Syria. On refused to leave the region. army surrounded the main Turkish 13 August, RojInfo reported on the observation post in Morek, about situation in the small village of Tirbê The only “achievement” of Nur- ten kilometres to the south... Other Spî, very close to the border, not far Sultan is a final declaration which, Turkish posts were fired upon in from Derbasiya (Qamishlo canton). reaffirming the will of the three par- the following days. Turkey's posi- Some farmers have not been able to ticipating countries to defend tion in Syria was becoming increas- cultivate their fields for four years, Syria's “unity and territorial ingly delicate, and on the 27th, as Turkish soldiers sometimes even integrity”, explicitly condemns the the Syrian army continued its shooting at children... Others accuse Autonomous Administration: the advance northward, Mr. Erdoğan the Turkish army of burning their signatories “reject any attempt to made a “surprise” visit to Moscow fields. The co-president of the Tirbê create new realities on the ground to try to save the day... Spî Farmers' Council, Kamiran under the pretext of combating ter- Umer, estimates that 2,500 hectares rorism, including initiatives of ille- Meanwhile, in Afrin, where have ceased to be exploited because gitimate autonomous powers”, and Turkish occupation and depreda- of this situation.... “oppose separatist agendas aimed tion continue, Kurdish fighters at undermining Syria's sovereignty continue to regularly harass the In addition to the Turkish threat, and territorial integrity, and threat- Turkish military and their Jihadist according to a recent Pentagon ening the national security of auxiliaries. On the 6th, Kurdish report, the Syrian North-East is neighbouring countries”, a trans- sources reported that during the experiencing a more than worrying parent allusion to Turkey. The previous week, Turkish military resurgence of ISIS. On the 6th, Turkish President, obsessively and jihadists had set fire to thou- according to the Syrian opposed to the Autonomous sands of olive trees, recalling that Observatory for Human Rights Administration, certainly played a since the 2018 invasion, they had (SOHR), a car bomb attack in al- role there, and Damascus, which burned more than 14,000 hectares Qahtaniya (Hasakah) claimed by wants to recover its territories in of agricultural land... On the 9th, the jihadist organization injured a Northern Syria, could only the Turkish Ministry of Defence police officer and killed five peo- approve. It was also a question of announced that an anti-tank mis- ple, including three children (AFP). denouncing the American presence sile attack on one of its bases from On August 11th, ISIS promised to in the North of the country. But the the Tell Rifaat area had injured intensify its attacks in a video denunciation of the Autonomous two soldiers, and that Turkey had showing scenes of decapitation and Administration is indeed the only “retaliated”. For their part, the close-range shooting at prisoners point on which the summit partici- Afrin Liberation Forces (ALF) portrayed as kidnapped Kurdish pants were able to agree, and the claimed to have wounded or fighters... On August 13th, the YPG consensus hardly goes beyond that, killed several Turkish soldiers on announced the loss on August 5 of given the divergent interests on the the evening of the 8th at a base in a female fighter near Shadadi ground. On the 5th, Damascus, the Shera or Sherawa district, in (Hasakah), Vejîn Zagros, also accusing Ankara of not having response to Turkish fire that killed reporting having killed three respected its commitments, one of their own (Rûdaw, NRT). jihadists in a special operation near resumed the offensive on Idleb, not Following these clashes, the Hasakah. On the 18th, a car bomb without having taken advantage of Turkish army pounded the area attack killed a Kurdish police offi- the temporary cessation of hostili- with heavy weapons, wounding cer (Asayish) in Qamishlo and ties to reinforce its front line... On five members of the same family, injured two people, one seriously. the 8th, the Syrian army began to including a child (RojInfo). On the On the evening of the 26th, another advance on the ground. On the 10th, the ALF announced having car bomb exploded near a church 19th, it bombed the vanguard of a killed eight jihadists from Jabhat in Tabqa, just outside Raqqa, Turkish convoy of 28 vehicles that al-Shamiya in Al-Bab in a night killing one civilian and injuring arrived near the village of Khan attack. On 19 July, the Turkish nine others. The Asayish were able Shaykhun, south of Idleb (Hama Ministry of Defence reported that to prevent the explosion of another province). Damascus accused it had once again responded to fire vehicle. At the same time, the SDF Ankara of trying to provide in the Tell Rifaat area. announced the capture of one Bull Angl 411 June 2019.qxp_Bull angl n° 401 August 2018 29/11/2019 18:28 Page 3

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jihadist and the death of another in Autonomous Administration, stat- Abdi said that the SDF had asked an operation on a village in Deir ed that the Administration was their American partners to act as Ezzor. ready to accept a five-kilometre mediators between them and the deep security zone, while refusing Turkish state “to solve the problem It should be noted that on 3rd a Turkish presence and requesting through dialogue and not war”, August, the SDF General surveillance by international and then participated indirectly in Command sent an order to all com- observers. According to Khalil, the discussions from the beginning. manders of its military units to these two points were rejected by When asked whether the SDF stop all recruitment of personnel Ankara, as was the direct participa- would accept Turkish aviation under the age of 18. This is the tion of the Kurds in the discus- reconnaissance flights over their application of the agreement sions. area, Abdi replied that “they had signed in Geneva on 29th June not accepted it and would not between the SDF, the Autonomous On 7th August, Turks and accept it because such flights Administration and the United Americans announced in two sepa- would also endanger the other Nations to stop the incorporation rate communiqués that they had areas held by the SDF”. The of children. decided to rapidly establish a “joint Turkish Ministry of Defence had operations centre”, located in announced on the 14th drone The month was also dominated by Turkey, which would coordinate the flights over the “security zone”. long-running discussions between establishment of the “security zone” Regarding the return of Syrian Turkey and the United States, to eventually receive Syrians cur- refugees, Abdi said that former res- accompanied by a true “war of rently refugees in Turkey. On the idents of these territories were wel- communiqués”: if discussions with 8th, Khalil welcomed the US- come to return (Bianet). the Americans failed, the Turks Turkish agreement, while Damascus would themselves create the “secu- rejected it “categorically” as a “fla- On the same day, Russia, reiterat- rity zone”, with the help of Syrian grant aggression” against its ing its support to Damascus for the rebels ready to participate in the sovereignty. On the 12th, an recovery of all territories lost dur- offensive... The Americans retorted American delegation arrived in ing the civil war, said that that they were ready to protect Ankara to continue discussions, and “attempts to isolate North-eastern their SDF partners from any attack, an agreement was quickly Syria are a source of concern” and while taking into account Ankara's announced to create a “security called for dialogue between concerns, as the American Special zone” in North-eastern Syria. On Damascus and the Autonomous Representative for Syria, James the 14th, the Pentagon indicated that Administration. On 27 July, the lat- Jeffrey, said on the first of the the agreement would be imple- ter announced the withdrawal of month. mented in stages. It should be noted YPG units from several positions that the former boss of the near the Turkish border, the dis- At the same time, diplomats from American forces in Syria and former mantling of various small fortifica- both countries continued their dis- head of the CentCom, General tions and the withdrawal of heavy cussions on the possible creation of Joseph Votel, now retired, published weapons. These operations, which a “security zone” separating the in The National Interest an article began on 24th in Ras al-Ayn / Serê Turkish army from Kurdish fight- opposing Ankara's control of the Kaniyê, continued on the 26th in ers. According to the Turkish press, “security zone”. In this text, co- Girê Spî (Tell Abyad). The US mili- Turkey demanded full control of a authored with a Turkish expert at tary command in the Middle East 30 km deep area on the Syrian side, George Washington University, (CentCom) confirmed on Twitter from which the SDF should with- Gönül Tol, Votel recalls that the withdrawals and destruction of draw. The Americans refused such “Security zones [...] are usually fortifications, with photos in sup- an important depth. At the same designed to be neutral, demilita- port, adding that this demonstrat- time, the Turkish army massed tens rized and focused on humanitarian ed “the commitment of the SDF to of thousands of men along the bor- objectives”... (AFP) support the application of the secu- der... On the 6th, the new Head of rity mechanism” (AFP). At the Pentagon, Mark Esper, described On 16 August, SDF Commander- same time, opposition to a possible any Turkish offensive against in-Chief Mazloum Abdi said in an Turkish invasion remains strong; Kurdish fighters as “unacceptable” interview with the Hawar agency the Council of Girê Spî (Tell and warned that Washington that discussions on the “security Abyad) has indicated its rejection would prevent any “unilateral zone” had in fact begun as soon as of Turkish threats, and demonstra- incursion”. On the same day, Aldar President Trump announced the tions have taken place in several Khalil, a member of the US withdrawal in December 2018. cities in Rojava. Bull Angl 411 June 2019.qxp_Bull angl n° 401 August 2018 29/11/2019 18:28 Page 4

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TURKEY: ECONOMY IN CRISIS AND GROWING OPPOSITION TO ERDO AN; NEW ATTACKS ON FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ecent figures from the His lawyers, who met with him on prison. The next hearing of the Turkish economy give the 7th, issued his statements Demirtaş trial will be held on little cause for opti- expressing his concern about the September 18. mism. According to the persistence of a militaristic policy R TurkStat Institute of from the Authorities, and his pro- As for the mathematician Tuna Statistics, inflation in July was posal to contribute to a political Altınel, placed on bail on 30th July 1.36% compared to the previous solution for the “Kurdish ques- after 81 days in prison, he has not month, 16.65% for the year. But tion”. After his lawyers, his brother finished yet with Turkish justice: some sectoral figures are worse: Mehmet Öcalan was also able to still being prosecuted for having transport cost inflation reaches visit him. Through these authoriza- served as a translator in February 4.46% in one month; and annually tions, the government, faced with 2019 at a meeting of the “Lyons 18.21% for food. As for unemploy- political difficulties, seeks to give Kurdish Friendship Association” ment, in May it was 12.8% for an impression of flexibility, but this (Amitiés kurdes de Lyon), his those over fifteen years old, or is illusory as soon as we look at the passport having been confiscated, more than four million, an whole picture: throughout the he must wait in Turkey for his increase of more than one million month, violent operations, arrests, next hearing on the 19th in one year. It reaches 23.3% dismissals of HDP elected officials November. He is also still prose- among young people aged 15 to and even extra-judicial killings at cuted as a signatory to the petition 24. In addition, industrial produc- the border went on… of the “Academics for Peace”, a tion in June fell by 3.9% compared case whose hearing will be held to June 2018 and by 3.7% com- On 1st August, nine Kurdish on 26 December (Le Monde). pared to the previous month. activists were arrested in a police Although the Constitutional Court Among the three sectoral indices, raid in Izmir. On the 2nd, several has ruled that the signatories’ con- manufacturing production con- medical staff members of the victions violated their rights, tracted the most, with 4.6%. The Cizre hospital, including a doctor, many universities still refuse to political consequences could be were arrested for treating wound- reinstate them. A petition chal- very negative for Mr. Erdoğan... ed people who arrived on the lenging the Constitutional Court's premises while they were on duty decision, entitled “The As an indication of growing oppo- in 2015, including a 10-year-old Constitutional Court cannot legit- sition to the increasingly authori- child: they are now accused of imize terrorism”, was even tarian regime instituted by the having assisted the PKK... The launched with (as if by chance) Turkish President, 43 Turkish bar Turkish Medical Association TTB 1.071 signatures: this number associations indicated that they and the Human Rights amounts to a clear signature by would not attend the opening cer- Foundation TİHV both con- the ultra-nationalists, as it refers to emony of the legal year on 2nd demned these arrests (Bianet). the battle of Mantzikiert September. On the 21st of August, (Malazgirt) which by the defeat of twenty members of the Supreme On the 6th, the left-wing website the Byzantines opened Anatolia to Court of Appeal out of 380 did the Duvar announced the launch of the Seljuq Turks... On the 12th, Dr. same. Since the attempted coup “Initiative to Free Demirtaş”, with Anıl Özgüc announced her resig- d'état in July 2016, the ceremony the hashtag #FreeDemirtas. The nation from the University Aydın has been held at the Ankara presi- HDP leader has now been in prison in Istanbul, her name having been dential complex – due to Mr. for three years. Participants in this added to the petition without her Erdoğan's fears for his own safety. initiative include journalist Can consent (Bianet). Among the 1071 One of the members of the Dundar, human rights lawyer Eren signatories, other academics also Supreme Court anonymously told Keskin, German parliamentarian indicated that their signature was Bianet that he did not wish to Cem Özdemir, co-chair of the false: Şerif Eskin, Ercan Eyüboğlu, attend a ceremony “under the German party Die Linke Katja Mehmet Gürlek, Ahmet Yıldız and supervision of the president of a Kipping, and Dutch MEP Kati Piri. Alev Erarslan (Evrensel)… political party”. Another hashtag used by partici- On the 8th, nineteen students from pants is #FreeThemAll, referring to the METU Technical University On the 5th August, the government former HDP Co-Chair Figen were charged with “participation again allowed visits to the impris- Yüksekdağ and the thousands of in illegal assemblies and marches” oned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. HDP members awaiting their trial in and “refusal to disperse” for hav- Bull Angl 411 June 2019.qxp_Bull angl n° 401 August 2018 29/11/2019 18:28 Page 5

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ing participated in the ninth LGBT Court still refuses to allow... (https://freeturkeyjournalists.ipi. March of their university. The first media/turkey-violates-right-to- hearing will take place on On the information front, the information-again-2/). However, November 12. On the day of the authorities have continued their on the same day, the court indicat- parade, police attacked the censorship efforts, including a ed that the blocking order for the parade, using rubber bullets and massive attack on news websites. Bianet site had been cancelled, pepper spray, before arresting 21 On the 2nd, the Bianet site report- adding that it had been placed on students and a teacher. Since 2011, ed that a court in Ankara had the list of sites blocked “by mis- the university presidency has tried blocked access to 136 sites - take” (Le Figaro). every year to prevent the parade including Bianet! - following a by cutting off electricity in the request from the gendarmerie On 9 August, the lawyers of the buildings concerned or by calling dated 16 July. Bianet had already Media and Law Studies the police, and then launched been blocked, but they only con- Association referred the matter to investigations against the organis- cerned certain items. There, the the Council of State to request the ers (Bianet). whole site was blocked, i.e. suspension of the new 200,000 articles and reports. The “Regulation on radio, television On the 9th, police raided the HDP Turkish Journalists' Union (TGS), and voluntary Internet broadcast- office at Muş, detaining several of TİHV and the Human Rights ing”, which came into force on 1st its members, including the two Association İHD have issued press August 2019. The latter entrusts local co-chairs Ferhat Çakı and releases denouncing a further vio- the Supreme Radio and Television Muhlise Karagüzel. On the same lation of press freedom and Council (RTÜK) with the authori- day, further arrests were made in human rights. The Presidents of ty to supervise Internet content. Bitlis, Tatvan and the Bağlar dis- Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara and For the association, “having to ask trict of Diyarbakir. In Gaziantep, Diyarbakır also denounced this for permission and pay fees to ten people were detained follow- blocking order, as did the announce news is a violation of ing their messages on social net- International Federation and the Turkey's constitution”. The fear is works. Two of them were charged European Federation of Journalists also that the “imprecise language” with “pro-PKK propaganda”. (https://europeanjournalists.org/ in which the text is written may Condemning the arrests, the HDP blog/2019/08/06/turkish-court- allow it to be “used for censorship reported that they concerned a imposes-access-block-on-news- purposes and with bad inten- total of 21 individuals, city coun- portals/), which brought the case tions”. The Ankara Bar cillors, district co-chairs and mem- to the Council of Europe platform Association also challenged the bers of youth assemblies. for the protection of journalism. same text on the 6th. An online petition has been On 19th August, the Minister of launchedOn the 16th, the reporter Ergin the Interior reported that 418 peo- (https://www.change.org/p/ank Çağlar, from the Mezopotamya ple had been detained in an opera- ara-3-ceza-sulh-mahkemesi- news agency, was imprisoned in tion in 29 provinces, a few hours bianet-Mersin on charges of “belonging after the dismissal of the kapat%C4%B1lmas%C4%B1n- to a terrorist organization”. On metropolitan mayors HDP of haber-alma- the 19th, his colleague Ziyan Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van.... %C3%B6zg%C3%BCrl%C3%BC% Karahan was imprisoned in C4%9F%C3%BC- Diyarbakir. According to her On the 29th, the Constitutional k%C4%B1s%C4%B1tlanamaz). lawyer, she was told that she was Court rejected the request of the Harlem Désir, media representa- detained “because of [her] jour- family of the murdered Armenian tive of the OSCE (Organisation for nalistic activities” (Bianet). On the journalist Hrant Dink to interro- Security and Cooperation in 20th, the writer and peace activist gate some state officials of the Europe), denounced the blockade, Ayşegül Tözeren, an editorialist time. After the 2007 assassination as did Reporters Without Borders for the left-wing daily Evrensel, of the editor-in-chief of the news- (https://rsf.org/en/news/censor- was also jailed in Istanbul after a paper Agos, the Court dismissed ship-catching-bianet-rsfs-partner- police raid on her home. Placed 24 people, including some accused turkey), Amnesty International ( on parole on the 23rd, she has in the trial of the ultra-nationalist https://www.amnesty.org/en/lat been prohibited from leaving the Ergenekon network, such as for- est/news/2019/08/turkey-mass- country. On the 30th, four former mer Istanbul Deputy Governor blocking-of-social-media-and- leaders of the left-wing daily Ergün Güngör and the head of the news-sites-is-full-frontal-assault- BirGün were prosecuted for MIT Özel Yılmaz: precisely those on-freedom-of-expression/) and “assistance to a terrorist organisa- people whose interrogation the the International Press Institute tion as non-members”. In 2016, Bull Angl 411 June 2019.qxp_Bull angl n° 401 August 2018 29/11/2019 18:28 Page 6

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they had reported on Tweeter Bölek for 70 days, İbrahim fire on three young shepherds messages broadcast under the Gökçek for 71 days and Barış who had crossed the border to pseudonym “Fuat Avni” that Yüksel for 72 days... Since her retrieve animals gone to the Iraqi made public sensitive informa- women’s prison in Izmir, Sultan side. The youngest, 14 years old, tion about the authorities’ censor- Gökçek reported she had been died quickly, as the soldiers did ship policy. brutalized for requesting her nothing to assist him or seek help. books, and filed a criminal com- According to another report, the However, the criminal complaint plaint against her guards after a youth were bringing contraband filed on July 8 by the Media and beginning of strangulation. She goods when they were targeted Law Studies Association against could not testify to this attack at by helicopter fire. Already in the SETA foundation was dis- the hearing, which she was 2011, a Turkish air strike on the missed. After SETA published a attending from a distance, Iraqi border had killed 34 civil- report targeting journalists work- because the sound of the video ians near the border village of ing for foreign media, the associa- system had been turned off. Roboski (Şırnak). These genuine tion called for the foundation’s extrajudicial executions are never conviction for “inciting the public Another conflict is the one prosecuted by the Turkish to enmity and hatred”, “recording around the Ilisu dam, whose courts... On the same day, the personal data” and “encouraging gates were closed on July 18, thus Turkish Ministry of Defence indi- to commit crimes”. But the report starting the filling process. cated without specifying a date was judged “within the limits of Protests in defence of the that it had “neutralized” five freedom of expression”, which medieval city of Hasankeyf, Kurdish fighters in the province provoked the irony of the associa- which will be drowned with of Dohuk in Iraqi Kurdistan. tion’s co-director: this same pros- many Kurdish villages, continued According to numerous local tes- ecutor, who keeps charging jour- despite police attacks on demon- timonies, these strikes have nalists who are only doing their strators, such as on the 6th resulted in many civilian casual- job, defends the freedom of August, and on the 13th, when ties with no connection to the expression of pro-government several HDP protesters were PKK. institutions and media... arrested. On the 26th, the Governor of Batman announced a On 3rd August, the PKK On 29th August, in front of the ban on access to the city as of 8th announced that on 1st August it members of the Association of October. The “Hasankeyf had killed 14 Turkish soldiers in a Broadcast Journalists, the Turkish Coordination” described this surprise attack on their positions President said: “We want a more decision as a “cordonning of near Uludere (Şırnak), and six pluralist Turkey with a freer destruction”, before deciding to others the following day. Six press”... Explaining his statement, organise a series of actions on 14th Kurdish fighters were killed in he attacked the media coverage of September. These will by no these clashes (eKurd). Turkey has the protests in Gezi Park, which, means be violent, but will consist not confirmed its own losses. On he said, were “manufactured in playing music or carrying out the 5th, RojInfo announced clash- news”, and the international an activity to signal one’s solidar- es between PKK and Turkish sol- media, which were guilty of “anti- ity with the threatened city diers in Khwakurk, Iraqi Turkish propaganda”. As anyone (Bianet). Kurdistan, during which more may understand, for Mr Erdoğan, than ten soldiers were reportedly “free press” means a press free to Regarding military operations, killed. On the morning of the 6th, be favourable to him… after launching the “Claws” oper- the Turkish Ministry of Defence ation against the PKK in Iraqi again announced it had “neutral- Overly critical cultural actors Kurdistan on the 27th May, the ized” 14 Kurdish fighters in an air have learned the hard way about Turkish army launched the sec- strike in Khwakurk, before the cost of talking – or singing – ond phase, “Claws-2”, on 13th announcing on the 8th the neu- too loud: on 27th August, July. The clashes continued tralization of two PKK leaders in Şahinkaya wrote to Bianet from throughout August, marked as Iraq and, in a separate attack, of Van prison that the musicians of usual by exchanges of claims three other members of the organ- Grup Yorum imprisoned there between the two sides on the loss- isation in Hakkari, on the Turkish were reaching their 102nd day of es inflicted on the opponent... side. hunger strike. Of the 18 members of the music group, 11 are in jail. On the 2nd, on the Turkish side of Also on 8th August, Al-Monitor Among them, Bahar Kurt has the Iraqi-Turkish border, in the analysed in a paper the assassina- been fasting for 77 days, Helin Hakkari region, soldiers opened tion of Turkish vice-consul Bull Angl 411 June 2019.qxp_Bull angl n° 401 August 2018 29/11/2019 18:28 Page 7

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Osman Kose. Kose had been shot greater importance of intelligence governorate of Sirnak announced dead on July 17 in a restaurant in warfare, in a context where the on the 21st that one soldier had Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Turkish army now has tools with been killed and three wounded in Kurdistan, by a killer with a pis- more precise striking capabilities clashes with the PKK (AFP). Then tol and silencer. This is the first such as armed drones and long- three Turkish soldiers were killed assassination since 1994 of a range missiles... on the 22nd near Silopi, not far Turkish diplomat in office, and it from Syrian and Iraqi borders. is the first such attack in Iraqi On the morning of the 16th, Kurdistan. It may well be a according to local sources, a new On 24th August, the Turkish response to the death on 27th June Turkish airstrike targeting the Ministry of Defence announced of Diyar Gharib Muhammad, one Qandil Mountains caused fires the launch of Phase 3 of of the seven members of the PKK around several villages below Operation “Claws” in the Sinat- Central Committee, a native of (Kurdistan 24). In particular, Haftanin (or Batifa) region of Sulemani, killed in his vehicle Rûdaw reported the destruction northern Dohuk province in Iraqi near Qandil by a Turkish of several orchards and farms Kurdistan. The next day, he airstrike. According to Bahoz near the village of Sangasar announced almost simultaneous- Erdal, the Head of special mis- (between Ranya and Qele Dize, ly strikes on Zirebar (Aqrê district sions at the PKK, Kose, although not far from Lake Dokan). The in Iraqi Kurdistan), a village officially a diplomat, coordinated Turkish Ministry of Defence con- already partially evacuated by its intelligence operations against the firmed strikes on PKK shelters inhabitants, and the death of PKK in Qandil within the MIT and weapons caches. The PKK three soldiers in clashes whose (Turkish Secret Service). He had has denied the neutralisation of location was unspecified. Seven therefore played a decisive role in hundreds of its fighters since late other soldiers were wounded in preparing for the strike that led to May. On the 19th, several houses the same clashes. Also on the 25th, Gharib Muhammad’s death. were destroyed and three civil- the “neutralisation” of nine other Although the PKK denied being ians were wounded in a new Kurdish militants in the Batifa involved in the attack against strike on Sangasar. Turkish televi- sector was announced. On the Kose, statements by its author, sion reported that five PKK mem- 30th, five areas of Hakkari Mazlum Dağ, arrested on 21st bers had been neutralized. The province, on the Turkish side, July, point to the existence of next day, an airstrike destroyed a were declared “special security “sleeping” PKK members in Iraqi PKK vehicle near the village of zones”. These are the centre of Kurdistan. Al-Monitor wonders Babire (Dohuk), already partially Hakkari, plus Çukurca, Şemdinli, whether the PKK-Turkey military evacuated by its inhabitants fol- Yüksekova and Derecik. Entry to confrontation is not entering a lowing the Turkish bombard- these areas has been banned for new phase, characterized by a ments. On the Turkish side, the 15 days.

TURKEY: NUMEROUS PROTESTS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AFTER THE DIS- MISSAL OF NEW HDP MAYORS he Turkish government suffered the same fate, each time slightly injured (AFP). In Van, continues its hateful replaced by the provincial gover- police violently attacked hundreds prosecution against the nor, appointed by Ankara. Despite of protesters gathered outside the HDP mayors who won the particularly unfair conditions town hall. HDP deputies gathered T the 31st March elections of the election campaign, where to protest in Istanbul, Ankara and in Kurdistan of Turkey. On August public television stations gave 53 Diyarbakir. In Istanbul, the rally 13, Medeni Özer, co-mayor of hours of airtime to the AKP-MHP was prevented from accessing Edremit district, and Faruk Demir, tandem, 14 hours to the CHP, and Taksim Square, and seven HDP co-mayor of Çaldıran (Van nothing to the HDP, Mr. Mizrakli officials were detained (Bianet). In Province), were both dismissed for had been elected with 63% of the simultaneous sweep operations “links with the PKK” and replaced votes, Mr. Türk got 56%, and Ms. throughout the country, 418 peo- by a pro-AKP administrator Ertan 54%. Thousands of Kurds ple, mostly HDP members or sup- (Turkey Purge). Then on the morn- have taken to the streets all over porters, were detained. ing of the 19th, the mayors of Turkey to protest. In Diyarbakir, Diyarbakir, Adnan Selçuk hundreds of people, gathered out- The MHP, the ultra-nationalist ally Mizrakli, Mardin, Ahmet Türk, side the town hall, were dispersed of the AKP, expressed its satisfac- and Van, Bedia Özgökçe Ertan, by water cannons, and two were tion, but the CHP (Kemalist opposi- Bull Angl 411 June 2019.qxp_Bull angl n° 401 August 2018 29/11/2019 18:28 Page 8

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tion) condemned the decision, its streets leading to the metropolitan that even an AKP MP from Vice-President Veli Agbaba describ- city hall and prevented a public Istanbul, Mustafa Yeneroğlu, was ing it as “fascist”, while the Mayor statement by Sezai Temelli. In moved, describing these images of the CHP of Istanbul, Ekrem Mardin, five journalists from dif- as “horrible”. Another video Imamoğlu, elected thanks to the ferent media covering the protests widely distributed on the Internet Kurdish vote, declared it “unaccept- were detained and released only shows an Istanbul police officer able”. Former Turkish President after several days, after being sub- shooting rubber bullets at close Abdullah Gül and former Prime jected to strip searches and physi- range in the head of an unarmed Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, despite cal violence. On the 21st, police demonstrator. In Ankara, police being members of the AKP, have dispersed new rallies. In officers held a 12-year-old child also expressed their opposition to a Diyarbakir, where at least two on the ground and handcuffed decision “contrary to the spirit of hundred people had gathered, him behind his back before taking democracy” (Reuters). In general, seven were arrested. Speaking to him away. The president of the condemnation was massive. 28 bar the foreign press, Minister Soylu Association of Contemporary associations throughout the country accused the HDP of being respon- Lawyers ÇHD recalled the illegal- issued a joint statement: “The fact sible for the situation: “The main ity of this practice for a child that three elected mayors, whose problem is the HDP’s attitude, (Bianet). appointment had been approved by which has challenged the State by the Supreme Electoral Council appointing as mayors people who On the 23rd, the Turkish President (YSK), were dismissed from office are already being prosecuted”... defended the dismissals by accus- by an ‘administrative decision’ five ing the dismissed mayors of hav- months later and on the basis of The administrator appointed in ing put themselves “in the service investigations [...] not yet complet- Van, Governor Mehmet Emin of terrorism” (AFP). ed, once again demonstrates the Bilmez, informed the members of executive’s supervision over the the municipal council of the disso- On the 24th, two CHP MPs, Ilhan judiciary”. The Association of lution of the council and the aboli- Cihaner and Ali Seker, travelled Contemporary Lawyers (ÇHD), the tion of the next meetings planned... to Diyarbakir to visit Mizrakli, Union of Turkish Chambers of by a texto! On the 22nd, twenty-six then to Mardin the next day to Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), lawyers protesting against the dis- meet Ahmet Türk. On the 26th, a Lawyers for Democracy, the Human missals were attacked and beaten delegation from the HDP visited Rights Association (İHD) and the by police, who also insulted jour- the CHP premises to meet with its Turkish Human Rights Foundation nalists covering the event, and MP President Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and (TİHV) have issued statements on HDP Erol Katırcıoğlu was separat- discuss the dismissals, the consti- the dismissals. Referring in their ed from the group and taken away tution and judicial reform. The joint statement to article 38 of the by force. Izmir bar president, HDP then issued a statement Constitution that no one can be con- Özkan Yücel, and a group from the indicating the agreement of both sidered guilty until convicted by a association, who arrived after the parties to consider the acts of the court, İHD and TİHV described the incident, were prevented from government as a “political coup” decision as an “absolute violation of approaching. On the same day, the and to defend democratic princi- the Constitution”. Following an Ministry of Interior dismissed eight ples together. emergency meeting of the HDP, its HDP municipal councillors from co-chair Sezai Temelli told journal- Edremit, Çaldıran and Tuşba dis- In addition, after questions ists that the decision was a “civil tricts, and the Governor of Batman expressed on television by Ahmet coup d'état”, a “new 12 September” dismissed the mukhtars or village Türk, the dismissed mayor of (date of the 1980 coup d'état) chiefs of Çay, Korik, Bağlar and Mardin, about the debts left to the (Bianet). Kösetarla, under the pretext of municipality by director and gov- ongoing prosecutions or investiga- ernor Mustafa Yaman, a scandal The protests lasted until the end of tions against them, replacing them involving the undue expenses of the month, despite numerous with administrators. In two days, some of the AKP directors police attacks in Ankara, Istanbul, more than 500 HDP members and between 2016 and 2019 began to Dersim, Diyarbakir, Van, Erzurum supporters who were protesting emerge, particularly following an and Bitlis (WKI). Interior Minister were arrested, a source from the investigation by journalist Tunca Suleyman Soylu defended his HDP told AFP. Öğreten of Deutsche Welle. On decision: “Those who claim that the 26th in Van, more than 80 being elected brings impunity for A video showing police violence protesters were arrested, 38 of terrorist crimes are wrong”... In against protesters sheltering in a whom were then brought to Diyarbakir, police blocked all café in Van caused such a scandal court. On the 27th, 189 people, Bull Angl 411 June 2019.qxp_Bull angl n° 401 August 2018 29/11/2019 18:28 Page 9

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academics, journalists, politicians proceedings communicated by 19/08/20/turkey-3-kurdish-may- and lawyers, signed a declaration the public prosecutor's office”... ors-removed-office), stating that opposing the destitutions (Bianet) they violated voters’ rights. The (http://bianet.org/english/poli- Council of Europe also reacted, tics/212298-189-people-sign-dec- On the 31st, Istanbul's CHP through Anders Knape, President laration-against- Mayor, Ekrem Imamoğlu, also of the Congress of Local and trustees?bia_source=mailchimpt= visited Diyarbakir, where he met Regional Authorities, who t%28RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN+- with the city’s dismissed Mayor, expressed his concern on the +Bianet+English+Daily%29). In Adnan Selcuk Mizrakli, and institution’s website, recalling Diyarbakir, the presidents of sev- Mardin’s Mayor, Ahmet Türk. that the Congress had already eral professional organizations or Reiterating his criticism of the expressed its concern in the past trade unions, DİSK, KESK, TTB deportations, he described about “the excessive use of judi- and TMMOB, as well as the Ankara’s decision as “reckless”, cial proceedings against local mayor of Dersim Fatih Mehmet telling journalists: “There can be elected representatives in Maçoğlu, participated in a protest no democracy or rule of law Turkey”. The European Union sit-in. when elected officials leave their Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, posts without having been dis- Maja Kocijanic, called for the can- The protests continued until the owned by the ballot box”. cellation of the renditions, and 28th, when the police special Imamoğlu also visited the grave Ms. Kati Piri, the European operations department arrested of Tahir Elci, the Diyarbakir presi- Parliament’s rapporteur on former HDP MP Selim Sadak in dent of the Bar and Kurdish Turkey, said that the AKP, having Diyarbakir. activist, shot dead in the street in been unable to win the elections, 2015 under extremely suspicious was now getting what it wanted On 28th August, the Turkish conditions while he was suppos- “through undemocratic and total- President, speaking to journalists edly protected by the police. ly illegal means”… Several on board the plane bringing him European parliamentary groups back from Moscow, once again On the same day, the pro- or national political parties have justified the dismissals by accus- grammes of the “Peace Rallies” condemned the destitutions, ing the dismissed mayors of hav- scheduled for 1st September in including the socialist and com- ing “sent taxes to Qandil”, “turn- Istanbul, Diyarbakir, Ankara and munist parties in France. ing them into bullets”. In the Izmir were published. The gover- evening, the three dismissed nors of three provinces banned On the 21st, the US State mayors, speaking on the private several slogans or signs contain- Department described the deci- television channel Halk, close to ing the word “administrator” or sion to dismiss the three HDP the CHP, indicated their intention “coup d'état”... mayors as “obviously worrying”. to go to court to contest their dis- In Geneva, Kurds gathered in missal. Van Mayor Bedia Özgökçe Reactions have also been negative front of the “Palais des Nations” Ertan said, in response to the abroad. The human rights organi- with banners bearing the words Turkish President: “ ’Sending zation Human Rights Watch “No to the coup against Kurdish money to Qandil’ is not one of the denounced the detentions on its municipalities” and chanted: charges against me. It does not website as early as August 20, “Dictator Erdogan, take your appear in the summary of the (https://www.hrw.org/news/20 hands off our town halls”.

IRAQ: PERSISTENT DISAGREEMENTS OVER THE BUDGET; INTENSIFICATION OF JIHADIST ATTACKS

he Iraqi Prime Minister and their supporters demonstrated Nineveh’s security would be joint- is facing difficulties in in Nineveh province, blocking the ly provided by the Hashd, the enforcing his decisions Mosul-Erbil road and throwing Iraqi army and the local police, regarding Iran-support- stones at the Iraqi army convoy and on 10th September, requested a ed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi arriving to replace them (ISHM). two-month deadline deferment for T th militias, whose integration into the On 6 June, Falih Fayadh, the integration of the Hashd into army and withdrawal from certain National Security Advisor, but also the army. As to the Sunni inhabi- territories he has ordered. On 5th Head of the Hashd al-Shaabi tants of Mosul, they are in favour August, members of these militias Council, announced that of the withdrawal. Bull Angl 411 June 2019.qxp_Bull angl n° 401 August 2018 29/11/2019 18:28 Page 10

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Concerning relations with the Baghdad (only 5440 billion dinars the Rûdaw channel announced Kurds, recent history, and particu- out of an official budget of 12,840 that jihadists had killed four larly the genocidal attempt of the billion). On the 22nd, a member of Asayish (Kurdish security) the Anfal, regularly reappears in the the Iraqi Parliament's Finance previous night, including an offi- news with the discovery of new Committee, Abdulhadi Sadawi, cer, and seriously wounded two mass graves. On 1st August, the nevertheless blamed the KRG for civilians, in an attack on a check- Iraqi Martyrs Foundation part of the country’s budget point near Kifri, in the Garmiyan announced the beginning of the deficit, projected at 72,000 billion region south of Kirkuk. The exhumation of one of them in the dinars for 2020. On 24th July, Jabar attack began with mortar fire on Samawa desert. It contains up to Yawar, Secretary General of the the village, then snipers targeted 130 bodies of Kurds assassinated Ministry of Peshmergas, noted the checkpoint. Finally, an anti- during the Ba'athist regime, most- that the funds sent by Baghdad terrorist unit vehicle sent to the ly women and children. Two other still did not cover the pechmergas scene was hit by a mine laid by mass graves discovered nearby salaries (NRT). the jihadists, and two of its pas- will be excavated soon. sengers were killed. On the 5th, In other areas, the relationship is United Nations Secretary- Other points of contention less confrontational. Thus, for General Antonio Guterres in his between Baghdad and Erbil, the higher education, the Iraqi report to the Security Council disputed territories and budgetary Ministry announced on 2nd indicated that ISIS still had $300 issues. On 3rd March, a delegation February the impending official million in financial resources from the Kurdistan Regional recognition of nine Kurdish uni- (ISHM). On the same day, Iraqi Government (KRG) came to versities in Iraq. According to security forces announced the Baghdad to discuss the normalisa- Mohammed Shakir, member of the launch of the third phase of tion of the situation in Kirkuk. The Iraqi Parliament's Committee on Operation “Will to Win” in Kurds are calling for a return to Education, the current lack of Diyala and Nineveh (Ninawa). civilian administration before the recognition is not due to any prob- In the Kifri region, where the provincial elections in April 2020. lem in quality of teaching, but to a Iraqi Prime Minister arrived On the 4th, the UN Secretary lack of coordination at the time of early Monday to supervise the General’s Representative for Iraq their opening. This situation, operation himself, the Iraqi asked Erbil and Baghdad to coop- which puts at a disadvantage pechmergas and security forces erate in restoring security in Sinjar, graduates wishing to pursue stud- launched a simultaneous opera- echoing the same request by ies or obtain scholarships abroad, tion (Rûdaw). In the Makhmur Nobel Prize winner Nadia will hence soon be resolved area, south of Erbil, an anti-ISIS Mourad. Regarding the 2020 bud- (Kurdistan-24). coalition airstrike killed six get and the KRG’s oil deliveries to jihadists, whose bodies were Baghdad planned in the 2019 bud- Regarding the internal policy of later found by the ground get, despite several high-level the Kurdistan Region, the troops. On the 6th, Iraqi police meetings initiated as soon as the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan announced that they had arrest- new KRG was installed, the agree- (PUK) announced that it had ed five jihadists from ISIS in ment has yet to be reached... The chosen Jafar Mustafa Ali (Sheikh Mosul (Kurdistan-24), but on the Iraqi Prime Minister has hands Jafar) to hold the position of same day ten improvised explo- partly tied by some of his coalition Second Vice-President of the sive devices targeted soldiers parties, which refuse to compro- Region, attributed to this party, and civilians in Rumaila (an oil mise on this question – as well as while Goran (Movement for field near Basra), Diyala, Anbar on the return of the pechmergas to Change) has appointed Mustafa and as far as Baghdad... (ISHM) Kirkuk. The KRG argues that the Said Qaidi as Vice-President. On the 7th, four jihadists were Maliki government’s decision to President Nechirvan Barzani killed in Diyala, and the Hashd stop sending the federal budget to will issue the decree formalizing reported having secured 147 vil- the Region in 2014 forced it to their functions (WKI). lages. However, on the 8th, a export its oil without coordination new mortar attack in the with Baghdad (Al-Monitor). On Regarding security, ISIS’s attacks province left two civilians dead the 19th, Jutyar Adil, spokesman were worryingly widespread and two wounded (ISHM). On for the KRG, recalled that throughout the month, particu- the 9th, Iraqi Military Security Baghdad was still cutting the larly in the disputed areas left by announced that it had killed four region's budget by more than the the Pechmergas in 2017, where infiltrated jihadists in their hid- value of the 250,000 daily barrels Iraqi forces have been unable to ing place in Diyala. Other coali- that the KRG should deliver to provide security. On 1st August, tion air strikes killed an unspeci- Bull Angl 411 June 2019.qxp_Bull angl n° 401 August 2018 29/11/2019 18:28 Page 11

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fied number of jihadists in the south of Khanaqin district 29th, ISIS wounded three police Kanus area (Nineveh), then two (Diyala), on Kani Masi (Kurdistan- officers in Jalawla (Diyala) and in the subsequent ground opera- 24). On the evening of the 17th, bombed an Iraqi patrol in tion, in which it appears that an mortar fire struck a village north Nineveh, two of whose members American advisor was killed of Khanaqin, killing no one. On were wounded (ISHM). (Kurdistan-24). the 18th, an airstrike destroyed a car bomb in Anbar. On the 20th, Regarding the disputed territo- On 11th and 14th August, impro- two improvised explosive devices ries, on 8th August the Kurdish vised explosive devices explod- wounded four Iraqi soldiers in parties rejected the decision of ed in Kirkuk and Diyala, while northeast Baqubah (Diyala), and a the Baghdad parliament to hold jihadists and Iraqi soldiers were new airstrike killed six jihadists in provincial elections there on 1st killed in action. On the 12th, an Nineveh. On the 22nd, Diyala April 2020. Especially in Kirkuk, Iraqi counter-terrorist unit oper- again suffered a mortar attack, they fear this will deprive dis- ating in coordination with the and six jihadists, including four placed Kurds of their electoral coalition aviation killed ten suicide bombers, were killed. On rights and embed the ongoing jihadists in Anbar, two of whom 24th September, the Iraqi Security Arabization policy in the demo- were wearing explosive vests. Forces announced the launch of graphic landscape. Indeed, since On the same day, an Iraqi check- phase five of the anti-ISIS opera- the law provides for the estab- point south of Daqouq (Kirkuk) tion “Will to Victory”. The previ- lishment of voters’ lists on the was attacked, two federal police ous phase included the destruc- basis of ration cards, the Kurds officers killed and two others tion of 31 jihadist installations, for whom these cards have been wounded. The Minister of including tunnels, and the seizure transferred to other provinces Pechmergas indicated in a press or detonation of 72 bombs (ISHM). will not be able to vote. conference that the increase in On the same day, a new attack Conversely, according to official attacks showed that ISIS had killed five Hashd militiamen in figures from the Iraqi Ministry of reorganized (WKI). On the 14th, Daquq, where jihadists, after firing Commerce, over the past seven another improvised explosive at civilians in a football stadium, months, ration cards of more device wounded two police offi- attacked the militiamen with rock- than 37,000 Arab Iraqis from cers in their vehicle west of ets (another report reports six other provinces have been trans- Daquq, and jihadists attacked a deaths, including one policeman). ferred to Kirkuk, which would checkpoint between Hawija and The civilian victims are mainly allow them to vote, contrary to Dibis, west of Kirkuk. On the Shia Turkmen. ISIS claimed after- the decree prohibiting any move- same day, Iraqi planes killed wards several attacks in this ment aimed at changing the four jihadists, including an province without mentioning this demographic balance of a explosives expert. one in particular. province. On 25th July, the Kurdish channel Kurdistan 24 Besides, a delegation of Daquq On the 25th, Iraqi security forces announced that it had had access residents terrified by the jihadist announced that they had killed to documents showing that 600 threat went to Baghdad to seek four jihadists and arrested two Arab families from the provinces government protection. others in Anbar. On the 27th, Iraqi of Salahaddin, Al-Anbar, Maysan Accompanied by MP Dilan anti-terrorism announced that and Baghdad had obtained resi- Ghafur, the group visited the one of ISIS's leaders, known as dency in Kirkuk during the past Ministry of Interior and met Abu Muslim, was killed in Anbar six months... with the Iraqi President. ISIS with two other leaders in an seems to be particularly target- airstrike around the 13th of the The Kurdish parties are therefore ing the fifteen Kaka’i villages in month. In Diyala, on 26th August, calling either for an electorate this area. Ghafur said that the ISIS attacked an Iraqi checkpoint based on the 1957 census, which Iraqi President had created a near Khanaqin, killing two sol- was conducted before Saddam committee to visit these villages diers, and west of Baqubah, a Hussein’s Arabisation policy, or and report back to him (Rûdaw). bomb killed one police officer for the application of Article 4 of Many Kurdish inhabitants of and wounded another; on 27th the Electoral Law, which allows this region have recently left August, a bomb seriously the Council of Ministers to their villages. wounded a civilian near a farm, exclude a province from the elec- and mortar fire targeted a village tions. For his part, the leader of On the evening of the 15th, the in the Muqdadiyah subdistrict, the Turkmen Front, Arshad pechmergas repelled an attack again targeted the next day by a Salehi, accused the Kurdish par- from the Hamrin Mountains, victimless bomb. Finally, on the ties of having installed in Kirkuk Bull Angl 411 June 2019.qxp_Bull angl n° 401 August 2018 29/11/2019 18:28 Page 12

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up to 600,000 Kurds from Erbil, expressed concern that many dis- Massoud Barzani reported that Suleimaniyeh, or even neigh- placed persons could not vote the KRG was trying through bouring countries! While it is true there because they could not go diplomatic channels to stop the that dozens of Kurds who were to the polling stations in their continuous strikes by Turkey deported under Saddam Hussein home towns with up-to-date elec- and Iran on its territory against have returned home since 2003, toral cards (ISHM). the PKK and the PDKI. Without the figure given by the Turkmen specifying the content of the leader supported by Ankara is Throughout Kurdistan, Turkish ongoing discussions, he insisted grossly exaggerated. For the strikes continued throughout the that they would not lead to Kurds, the definitive solution, in month, regularly causing civilian fighting between “Kurdish accordance with the 2005 Iraqi casualties. In 25 villages in brothers”, suggesting that the Constitution, would be the appli- Dohuk, there are abandoned KRG would not use force to cation of Article 140. The houses, and about ten Christian expel the Kurds targeted by province has not had an election villages in the Kani Masi district these strikes in exchange for since 2005 (Rûdaw)... have even been completely evac- their end (ISHM). On the 20th, a uated. According to the district few hours after Turkish strikes On the 13th, the Kurdish parties head, Turkish air force strikes wounded three villagers near the in Kirkuk decided to legally chal- almost daily (Rûdaw). On a larg- Qandil Mountains, the KRG lenge the law establishing the er scale, hundreds of villages spokesman again called on provincial elections, the same day have been abandoned by their Turkey and the PKK to avoid that the Deputy Director of the inhabitants since May. On 12th any harm to the inhabitants of Iraqi Electoral Commission December, KDP President Iraqi Kurdistan.

YEZIDI GENOCIDE: 3 AUGUST DESIGNATED AS A “DAY OF REMEMBRANCE” BY THE KURDIS- TAN PARLIAMENT

he Kurdish Parliament Ministry of Higher Education had she was at the invitation of the announced on 1st authorized the opening of the first German Yezidi Council, to return August that it was university in Sinjar (Shingal), as to Sinjar: “Today, more than debating the well as a museum and especially a 90,000 have returned [...]. More T designation of 3rd hospital that will specialize in the have to come back to defeat ISIS’s August as “Day of Remembrance treatment of women and children plan to chase them away”. She of the Genocide of the Yezidis” victims of kidnapping and torture also criticized the Iraqi and perpetrated by ISIS. The law (Rûdaw). Kurdish authorities for failing to should pass during the session take action to help the survivors, scheduled for the following According to the head of the and requested compensation for Saturday, precisely on the 3rd KRG's Yezidi Women's them. It should be noted that the (Kurdistan-24). On the same day, Safeguarding Bureau, Hussein resolution adopted on the same the Yezidi Yazda rights organiza- Koro, who was speaking at a sep- day by the Kurdish Parliament tion organized a commemoration arate press conference, of the also calls for the federal govern- of the event, which brought 6,417 Yezidi women abducted by ment to provide reparations to together Iraqi and foreign offi- ISIS, only 3,509 have been saved. the families of the victims cials. Council of Ministers Koro reported having reliable “according to the Iraqi constitu- Secretary General Mahdi al-Alaq information that a number of tion”. Nadia Murad thanked the reported that, of the sixty-seven these women and children were Kurdistan Parliament for this res- mass graves in Yezidis discovered in Al-Hol camp in Rojava. A team olution. after the withdrawal from ISIS, sent to the area was unable to seventeen have now been ascertain their presence, let alone On August 30th, local police dis- opened, mainly by UNITAD, the bring them back... On the 3rd, for- covered in Sinjar a new mass United Nations organization mer ISIS captive and Nobel Peace grave of Yezidis killed by ISIS, investigating ISIS's crimes. Alaq Prize winner Nadia Murad called containing at least six victims also announced that the Iraqi on them from Stuttgart, where (ISHM). Bull Angl 411 June 2019.qxp_Bull angl n° 401 August 2018 29/11/2019 18:28 Page 13

n° 413 • August 2019 Information and liaison bulletin • 13 •

JIHADISTS IMPRISONED IN ROJAVA: WESTERN COUNTRIES FLEE THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES

he Autonomous stituted a violation of interna- As pointed out by the Administration of the tional law. France defended its Huffington Post, an internation- Syrian North-East con- decision by arguing that al tribunal is created by a special tinues to call on jihadists should be tried as close resolution of the UN Security T Western countries to as possible to the places where Council, as was done in the assume their responsibilities they had committed crimes cases of the former Yugoslavia towards their jihadist nationals. (ISHM), and the French Ministry and Rwanda. In 2014, Resolution The camps located on its territo- of Foreign Affairs gave a very 2170, which created the ry hold more than 70,000 prison- critical response to this letter by Coalition Against ISIS, “urges all ers, including 10,000 foreigners, referring to “unsubstantiated States to cooperate [...] in efforts divided into 2,000 women and allegations” and “pure specula- to find and bring to justice” ISIS 8,000 children, with 370 French tion”: “The allegations made by fighters and other terrorist orga- people, including 250 children. Agnès Callamard are not based nizations. The Member States of The newspaper Le Monde on any prior exchange with the the coalition therefore have the counted 800 Western men, 700 French authorities, as provided legal basis to set up a specific women, and nearly 1,500 chil- for by the Human Rights international tribunal, other dren. These camps are now so Council’s special procedures. options being to extend the juris- overcrowded that living condi- They are in no way substantiat- diction of the International tions have become totally ed, are pure speculation and are Criminal Court in The Hague or unworthy. How can radicaliza- solely of her responsability”. to create a mixed court on the tion be stopped in such a situa- model of Cambodia after the tion? As guards have been The French Centre for the genocide of the Khmer Rouge, attacked or stabbed, more and Analysis of Terrorism (CAT), composed of local and interna- more observers believe that which dispatched one of its ana- tional lawyers... these camps have become real lysts in Syria this summer to ticking time bombs. Yet coun- learn about the potential pres- tries of origin are still as reluc- ence there of sponsors of attacks On the 19th, in any case, the tant to recover their nationals carried out in France, called for Autonomous Administration of who have become jihadists, nor their repatriation so that they North-East Syria handed over do they want their relatives, will be present at the trials on the spot four orphans of women or children. Nor does planned for these attacks. But jihadist fighters to a delegation the international community more generally, the CAT mission of the German government provide the Kurdish administra- also testified to the difficulties (AFP). According to a local tion with the financial means to encountered by the Kurds in source, the Rojava Information set up better equipped camps. “organising the detention and Centre, Germany could take trial of foreign combatants. They back on its territory more than a On 12th August, the United lack just about everything, evi- hundred children born in Syria Nations Special Rapporteur on dence about them, financial to German parents suspected of extrajudicial, summary or arbi- resources; they do not have the having come to the country to trary executions, Agnès funds at this stage to create pris- support ISIS. Even more men Callamard, sent a six-page letter ons for women. They also lack and women would then be repa- to the French government accus- legal expertise. Recently, they triated. Last July, a German ing it of double talk: while the have been supporting the project court ordered the repatriation of country claims to oppose the of an international tribunal on a woman with three children, death penalty, it agreed to trans- the spot, but this is not possible whom the Ministry of Foreign fer thirteen French ISIS members as it stands” (L'Express). If an on- Affairs intended to repatriate to Iraq where they were prompt- site judgment is to be made, then without their mother. The moth- ly sentenced to death. Callamard the Autonomous Administration er’s family had then filed a com- argued that such a transfer con- should be assisted in doing so. plaint (Rûdaw). Bull Angl 411 June 2019.qxp_Bull angl n° 401 August 2018 29/11/2019 18:28 Page 14

• 14 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 413 • August 2019

IRAN: CHILLING THREATS BY THE REGIME TO OPPONENTS, NUMEROUS CONVIC- TIONS OF KURDISH ACTIVISTS

he beginning of nents, and calls on the United crossing, killing one of them and August was marked Nations Special Rapporteur on injuring another. On the 11th, a by the scandal caused extrajudicial, summary or arbi- man was killed near Oshnavieh by the chilling state- trary executions, as well as on all when the Pasdaran opened fire T ments uttered by governments, to publicly con- on his vehicle. Another kolbar, Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi at demn Pour-Mohammadi's state- captured, was tortured. On the the end of July. The current ments. 21st, security forces wounded a adviser to the Head of the kolbar in an ambush on a group Iranian judiciary, Ebrahim Raisi, Besides, new arson attacks near Sardasht. Another one and former Minister of the occurred in the Kurdish regions received a bullet in his leg on the Interior and Justice, defended on of Iran between late July and same day in Urumieh. On the 24th July in an interview with early August. According to 25th, another was killed near Mosalas magazine the extrajudi- KMMK, in the Kermanshah Baneh and one was seriously cial executions of 1988, during region of Dalahu, the fire burned shot near Khoy. Finally, on the which 30,000 political prisoners for four days without the 27th, border guards attacked a were sent to the gallows outside authorities making any attempt group near Oshnavieh and killed any legal framework. Non con- to fight it. The response came a 32-year-old Kurd named tent with approving this crime from local volunteers and envi- Mohamadi Hamizadeh (WKI). against humanity, which he ronment activists. On the 3rd, a described as a legitimate act of major fire struck Javanrud, while In addition, a wave of arrests has war, Pour-Mohammadi went 50 ha were devastated near targeted Kurdish activists; further by declaring that he was Sardasht (WKI). according to the Kurdistan ready to continue the executions. Human Rights Association Beyond the organization of the The Kolbars, these cross-border (KMMK), 270 of them have been Mujahedin-e Khalq, mentioned Kurdish carriers, continue to pay arrested since the beginning of by name, all protesters are tar- with their lives for their attempts the year, and at the same time geted. Pour-Mohammadi was at to survive economically. many convictions have been the time of the killings sitting According to the KMMK, since handed down. Six people were alongside Ebrahim Raissi in the beginning of the year, nearly arrested earlier this month: three Tehran’s “Death Commission”, 50 people have been killed and in Marivan, one in Piranshahr established by a fatwa of nearly 100 injured. Hengaw and two in Oshnavieh (Shino). Ayatollah Khomeiny, who had reported in early August that In Marivan, women's rights ordered the executions. The during the month of July seven defender Parwin Adawai was interview, posted online by the kolbars had been killed and arrested, then on the 2nd, Etelaat magazine and subtitled in twenty injured. Two were (Intelligence Service) arrested English by activists, is available wounded on 31st July on the two more people, Hamdi and on the Internet Iraqi side, not far from the Haji Shaho Kawan. In Oshnavieh, the (https://www.youtube.com/wa Omran border crossing, opposite two Kurds arrested, Aso tch?v=uAo6w1QOFqw). In their Piranshahr (KMMK). On the Garmiani and Majid Darî, were stiffening under US sanctions, same day, another one injured charged with “assistance to the the Iranian authorities have sent himself in a fall in Hawraman, Kurdish opposition parties” and a truly horrifying message and yet another in a border sentenced to prison terms rang- showing how far they are pre- guard ambush near Kileh Shin ing from three months to four pared to go in their repression of (between Saqqez and Baneh). In years. Since the beginning of the any protest. On 5th August, the Nowdeshah (opposite Halabja), year, more than 250 Kurds have Centre for Human Rights in Iran a kolbar was wounded by bor- been arrested by the regime. In (CHRI) condemned these state- der guard fire, and on the 7th, Urumieh, five Kurdish political ments and called on Raisi to dis- two were wounded near prisoners went on hunger strike avow them. CHRI also calls on Sardasht and one killed in to protest against their condi- the Head of the judiciary to com- Piranshahr. On the 10th, the tions of detention, as did the mit not to resume these practices Pasdaran opened fire on a group singer Peyman Mîrzadeh, after in order to silence political oppo- of kolbars near the Khoy border receiving a hundred lashes for Bull Angl 411 June 2019.qxp_Bull angl n° 401 August 2018 29/11/2019 18:28 Page 15

n° 413 • August 2019 Information and liaison bulletin • 15 •

“propaganda against the Islamic Etelaat arrested Kurdish p%3A%2F%2Fwww.css.ir%2FM Republic” (WKI). activists Mohsen Saiedpour and edia%2FPDF%2F1396%2F11%2F Akbar Gawili during raids on 14%2F636532375414083535.pdf), On the 6th, Etelaat raided the their homes. He had already show that 49.2% of the popula- homes of several activists in been imprisoned for political tion share this opinion. A report Kamyaran and arrested seven of reasons (KMMK). published in March 2018 by the them. On the 9th, Kurdish Parliamentary Research Centre activist Sirun Abbasi was arrest- On the 28th, the Washington (http://www.mizanonline.com/ ed in such a raid in Dehgolan Kurdish Institute (WKI) report- files/fa/news/1397/5/6/17271 after calling for the resignation ed that three Sanandaj Kurds 06_316.pdf) also concluded that of Supreme Leader Ali visiting the city of Damawand there is a growing disaffection Khamenei. In Rabati, near were arrested simply because with the veil and suggests a revi- Sardasht, two Kurds were they were wearing traditional sion of the law. But since its pub- detained by Etelaat without Kurdish clothing... lication, nothing has changed. charge (WKI). The courts equate the refusal to Beyond Iran's Kurdistan, repres- wear the veil with prostitution On the 18th , the United Nations sion has also affected many and impose sentences for, inter General Assembly published a women, particularly those hav- alia, “encouraging corruption report on the human rights situ- ing publicly removed their veils. and prostitution”, “publishing ation in Iran On the 7th, the Human Rights indecent material on social (https://undocs.org/en/A/74/ Activists News Agency media” or “public commission 188). Written by Special (HRANA) announced that three of prohibited acts”. Rapporteur Javaid Rehman, this women activists had been sen- report discusses the regime's tenced on July 31st in Varamin to On the 27th, Saba Kord Afshari multiple violations, including its 55 years in prison. HRANA also was sentenced to a total of 24 persecution of minorities. The announced on the 14th the publi- years in prison on several report states that Kurds repre- cation of a book written by charges following her participa- sent half of Iran's political human rights defenders that can tion in protests in Tehran. She detainees and are the first to suf- be downloaded from its website faces the risk of serving the fer political executions. The ( https://www.hra- longest sentence of 15 years for report also addresses the prohi- news.org/wp- publicly removing her veil, bition of the Kurdish language content/uploads/2019/08/Wha which has led her to be charged in education and expresses the t-is-Right-by-Amin-Ghazaei- with "spreading prostitution" author's concern about the per- HRAI.pdf). (HRANA). Despite the arrest of secution of Kurdish-speaking On the 19th, the CHRI reported his mother, who was also pre- teachers. It mentions in particu- that, since January 2018, 32 peo- sent during the demonstrations, lar Zara Mohammadi, arrested ple have been arrested for such Afshari refused, according to on 23rd May 2019 for having acts of civil disobedience against human rights groups, to record a organised private Kurdish lan- the obligation to wear the hijab, video confession. Three other guage courses in Sanandaj and at least 12 have been sen- women had been sentenced to (WKI). tenced to prison terms of six six years' imprisonment the pre- months to thirty-three years. In vious day. Other Kurdish activists were addition, several studies on peo- arrested later in the month. In ple's feelings about the obliga- On the 24th August, writer and Sanandaj, Zanyar Zamran, tion of the veil show that an director Kiumars Marzban, arrested last December, was sen- increasing proportion of the arrested during a raid on his tenced to three months' impris- population considers it a person- Tehran home on 26th August onment for “propaganda against al choice and that the hijab 2018 and detained since then in the Islamic Republic”. Also in should not be made mandatory. Evin prison, was sentenced on Sanandaj, a Kamyaran activist, Thus, surveys conducted by the several charges to a total of 23 Omed Assadi, was sentenced to Iranian Student Survey years in prison. He should serve one year in prison for “propa- Association in 2006 and 2014, the longest sentence, i.e. 11 ganda for an opposition Kurdish and published by the Rouhani years. On the same day, journal- party”. In Sardasht, a Kurdish administration in 2018 ist Marzieh Amiri was sentenced businessman, Sabir Bapiri, was (https://click.icptrack.com/icp/ to ten years and six months in wounded by security forces fire relay.php?r=70632417sgid=97191 prison after being arrested in on his car (KMMK). On the 20th, 9ct=GHQ4=333585estination=htt Tehran with several activists Bull Angl 411 June 2019.qxp_Bull angl n° 401 August 2018 29/11/2019 18:28 Page 16

• 16 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 413 • August 2019

during the 1st of May demon- on female genital mutilation was according to his wife arrest- stration (HRANA). (http://kameelahmady.com/wp ed and sentenced to one month -content/uploads/Kameel%20- in prison. His arrest follows that Researchers have also been tar- %20EN%20Final.pdf), of another anthropologist, Farida geted by the regime's repression, updated in 2017 Adelkhah, living in France and particularly those linked to for- https://www.28toomany.org/st also working on Iranian women. eign countries. In Tehran, a atic/media/uploads/Continent Adelkhah, arrested in early June Kurdish anthropologist with %20Research%20and%20Resour for “espionage” while visiting dual Iranian and British nation- ces/Middle%20East/the-chang- her family, is still in detention in ality, Kamil Ahmadi (Kameel ing-paradigms-of-fgmc- the sinister prison of Evin, in Ahmady), author of a 2015 study web.pdf), northern Tehran...

IN MEMORIAM: DEATH OF ERAFETTIN GÜRBÜZ

ur friend and colleague addition, he prepared the press family and a large crowd. Şerafettin GÜRBÜZ review of the Institute's monthly A meeting was held in his mem- died on Monday 5 Bulletin, and also provided a large ory on Saturday from 3 to 7 pm August 2019 in Paris at part of the logistics, maintenance at the Kurdish Institute for his O the age of 57. and supplies necessary for the daily colleagues, relatives, friends and Born in 1962 in Pertek, Dersim running of the offices. He also pre- all those who knew and appreci- province, he was a geological pared Saturday cultural meetings, ated him. It brought together engineer by training. Fleeing the painting and photography exhibi- more than 300 people, some of mass repression in Kurdistan of tions, and welcomed guests to the whom coming from other Turkey in the 1980s, he came to conferences organized by the European countries. The France as a refugee. After taking Institute. Institute has also received many French courses at the Institute, messages of sympathy from per- rather than returning to engineer- Suffering for a few months from sonalities and parties in ing work in France as he could violent tinnitus that made his Kurdistan. A discreet and cour- have done, he preferred to join life difficult, he decided to com- teous man, “Şeref” has chosen to the Kurdish Institute team in 1991 mit suicide. He leaves behind a leave without complaining, and became a cornerstone of it. daughter and a son. without bothering his friends He was a welcoming, helpful and and relatives, in an old Kurdish courteous visitor receptionist who In accordance with his will, his tradition of “knowing how to was loved and appreciated by funeral was held in Kurdistan, in die”. We cannot think of him everyone at the Institute and by his native village in Dersim without emotion. his friends passing through. In province, in the presence of his Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti

1er Août 2019

« La Croix » a pu se rendre dans les camps dqKuri tan syrien où vivent, dans des conditions difficiles, desmnrflier e familles. Certaines se radiçalisent un peu plus

Dans le camp d’Al-Hol, le 22 juillet. Délit Souleiman/AFP

epuis leur sauvetage en leur débarquement tant qu’un concrétiser le « mécanisme de # à être le camp de réfugiés de mer jeudi 25 juillet, plan de répartition n’aurait pas été éditorial solidarité » de répartition des l’Europe». convenu avec l’Union européenne. Dominique Greiner migrants sur lequel quatorze L’accord au sujet des passa­ D116 migrants partis de Mercredi, la situation s’est pays membres de l’Union euro­ gers du Gregoretti ne suffit pas Libye étaient encore bloqués à débloquée après l’annonce que péenne se sont mis d’accord à le démentir. Le mécanisme de bord du Gregoretti, un navire des cinq États membres - la France, lundi 22 juillet à Paris. Une réu­ solidarité doit faire ses preuves gardes-côtes italiens. Après avoir l’Allemagne, le Portugal, le Une solidarité nion qui voulait mettre fin aux face à de nouvelles arrivées. Et tardé à accorder l’autorisation Luxembourg et l'Irlande - et des bras de fer à répétition avec cela va venir très vite. Mercredi, d’accoster dans le port militaire structures de l’Église italienne à lcprcuve Rome mais que Matteo Salvini une ONG allemande informait d’Augusta, en Sicile, Matteo Sal- acceptaient de les prendre en avait qualifiée de « flop », esti­ avoir secouru 40 personnes au vini, le ministre de l’intérieur ita­ charge. Cette décision semble mant que l’Italie continuerait large de la Libye... lien, refusait depuis dimanche

1 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti

La Croix -jeudi 1" août2019 ÉVÉNEMENT

Depuis la chute Violences, Reportage dans cette de Daech, des dizaines rationnement, prison à ciel ouvert, de milliers de déplacés manque de et dans le camp de Roj, -en majorité des soins... le camp alors que les Kurdes, familles de djihadistes - d’Al-Hol abrite débordés, regrettent sont parqués les éléments l’absence de soutien dans des camps les plus de la communauté au Kurdistan syrien. radicalisés. internationale. Syrie, la poudrière des camps de djihadistes

Irak. Dans la paume de sa main _ Depuis la chute du califat qu’un gant troué laisse entrevoir, de Daech, le 23 mars dernier elle serre un morceau de papier au terme de la bataille froissé sur lequel est griffonné un de Baghouz, dans l’Est syrien, numéro de téléphone. « Je vous en des milliers de familles supplie, appelez mon fils! Je crois de djihadistes de différentes qu’il a été transféré dans une prison nationalités - notamment à Bagdad, mais je n’ai aucun moyen française - sont retenues Liban de le contacter ici. » dans des camps situés ■Damas Bien que des téléphones - dans la région, administrée Israël Irak en principe interdits par les par les autorités kurdes. Kurdes qui gèrent le camp - cir­ Jordanie culent sous le manteau, la plu­ _ Débordés par ces 100km ViaCTUW LACROIX dizaines de milliers d’enfants part de ces femmes n’ont pas et de femmes, dont beaucoup femmes irakiennes et syriennes les moyens de s’en procurer au demeurent radicalisées, errent, désemparées, hurlant le marché noir. La nourriture est les Kurdes réclament nom d’un mari, d’un frère, d’un rationnée et l’anarchie provo­ vie était supportable. Mais depuis le soutien de la communauté fils dont elles n’ont plus de nou­ quée par la surpopulation du « Certaines femmes l’arrivée de milliers de personnes internationale. velles depuis la chute du califat, camp, construit à l’origine pour djihadistes font de Baghouz, certaines femmes dji­ _ Notre reporter a pu se le 23 mars dernier. Lors de la der­ accueillir quinze fois moins de hadistes font la loi. Elles nous me­ rendre, ces derniers jours, nière bataille contre Daech, à Ba­ résidents, rend les distributions la loi. Elles nous nacent, disent que nos produits ne ghouz, dernier bastion du califat, insuffisantes. «L’afflux massif de sont pas halal, et nous interdisent dans deux de ces camps, à il y a plus de quatre mois, des mil­ déplacés en provenance de la ré­ menacent, disent de mettre de la musique. » Al-Hol, où femmes et enfants s’entassent et où la violence liers d’hommes se sont rendus aux gion de Baghouz a pris de court que nos produits À quelques dizaines de tentes règne, et à Roj, sorte de camp Forces démocratiques syriennes - les organisations, se rappelle ne sont pas halal, de là, des enfants pataugent dans vitrine pour les autorités la coalition de milices dominée par Sara Al Zawqari, porte-parole une flaque d’eau croupie ; d’autres les Kurdes - pour échapper aux du Comité international de la se jettent des pierres en riant, les kurdes. et nous interdisent combats et aux bombardements Croix-Rouge. Nous faisons face à dents noires. Une odeur de pour­ Camps d'Al Hol et de Roj de l’aviation internationale. une demande bien supérieure à de mettre riture mêlée de sueur et d’excré­ (Kurdistan syrien) Immédiatement incarcérés au nos moyens d’action, et le contexte de la musique. » ment se dégage des corps cras­ De notre envoyé spécial Kurdistan syrien, région devenue politique complique l'achemine­ seux. L’un d’entre eux s’agrippe à Une tempête de poussière ba­ de facto autonome du régime de ment de l’aide humanitaire. » nos vêtements, les yeux exorbités, laye les milliers de tentes blanches Damas dans le chaos de la guerre Pour pallier ce manque, des le crâne à moitié chauve, le visage du camp d’Al-Hol. Dans les allées, civile, ces prisonniers ne peuvent commerçants des villages voi­ dans lequel Djamillah, originaire émacié par des mois de diarrhée. à perte de vue, une marée noire pas entrer en contact avec leurs sins et des déplacés non affiliés à de l’ouest de l’Irak, tient un ma­ « L’eau qu’ils reçoivent est polluée, de niqabs piétine des ordures qui proches. « Je ne sais même pas si Daech ont ouvert des boutiques gasin de produits cosmétiques la nourriture avariée, se désole jonchent le sol. Les regards sont mon mari est encore vivant, san­ d’alimentation, de fruits, de lé­ et de maquillage avec son mari. Ahmed, bénévole du Croissant- craintifs, les voix suppliantes, la glote Nawras (ï), originaire de FaJ- gumes et de vêtements. Un souk «Lorsque nous nous sommes ins­ Rouge kurde. Nous faisons face à foule oppressante. Des groupes de loudja, un ancien fief de Daech en de fortune au cœur du camp, tallés ici, il y a un an et demi, la des épidémies comme lecho- •••

2 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti

La Croix -jeudi Ier août2019 ÉVÉNEMENT

Un souk de fortune au cœur du camp d’Al-Hol. Baderkkan Ahmad repères

Daech, de la chute aux procès

10 juillet 2017 Après une offen­ sive de neuf mois des forces fédérales soutenues par la coa­ lition internationale emme­ née par Washington, Mossoul, deuxième ville d’Irak aux mains des djihadistes depuis 2014, est libérée.

17 octobre 201' Daech aban­ donne Rakka, sa « capitale » syrienne, dont il avait pris le contrôle trois ans plus tôt.

15 mars 201' ». Orphelins de leur mère djihadiste, cinq enfants français sont autorisés à quit­ ter leur camp du Kurdistan syrien pour rentrer en France.

23 mars 2019. Après la reprise de Baghouz, poche de quelques centaines de mètres carrés où les derniers djihadistes et une partie de leurs familles vivaient terrés, les Forces démocra­ tiques syriennes proclament la mort territoriale de Daech.

Du 26 mai à début juin. Onze djihadistes français transférés depuis la Syrie, et jugés devant le tribunal antiterroriste de Bagdad (Irak), sont condam­ nés, au terme de procès expé­ ditifs, à la peine capitale. Les ■ ’ i \ . JJ ONG de défense des droits ap­ pellent depuis à leur rapatrie­ H ment en France. g|L* 10 juin Douze enfants de djiha­ E. - 1 distes français, après une sélec­ !. 1 tion au « cas par cas », sont ra­ ’ ï patriés de Syrie. Le lendemain, trois djihadistes et leurs neuf ------enfants, retenus dans un centre de rétention turc, sont remis à la justice française.

••• léra ou la tuberculose, et per­ un grand risque en termes de répu­ rentrer chez eux. «Mon quartier pables de nombreuses exactions sonne ne nous aide. » «Allez expliquer tation et de financement. Et c’est a été entièrement détruit, je n’ai contre les populations sunnites, la Dans la queue du centre de la même chose pour nos bailleurs nulle part où aller », soupire Kha­ branche de l’islam dont se réclame soins, une jeune mère de 19 ans à ceux qui vous de fonds. » Contacté par Lu Croix, led, Tun des seuls hommes adultes le groupe terroriste. perd son sang-froid : « Ma fille est financent que un autre travailleur humanitaire du camp. D’après les dirigeants du Kur­ en train de mourir et personne ne abonde: « Allez expliquer à ceux Réfugié ici depuis un an et demi, distan syrien, le retour des fa­ s'en occupe. Les pays étrangers leur argent va qui vous financent que leur argent le vieil homme est originaire de milles syriennes comme ira­ ont détruit nos maisons et nous aider des familles va aider des familles de djiha­ Mossoul, l’ancienne « capitale » kiennes est surtout conditionné ont forcés à venir dans ce camp. distes. Personne ne vous donnera irakienne de Daech, partiellement à l’accord des responsables poli­ J’aurais préféré rester avec Daech de djihadistes. un centime!» rasée par les bombardements de la tiques et religieux de leurs régions à Baghouzet mourir, plutôt que Personne Les 73 000 personnes retenues coalition internationale entre oc­ d’origine. «Nous devons nous as­ de venir ici. » Dans ses bras, sa dans le camp d’Al-Hol restent donc tobre 2016 et juillet 2017. « Surtout, surer qu’ils seront accueillis dans petite fille de 2 ans sanglote. Elle ne vous donnera livrées à elles-mêmes. Parmi elles, les milices chiites qui contrôlent la des conditions de sécurité accep­ souffre de diarrhée et de convul­ un centime!» plus des trois quarts sont origi­ ville finiront par savoir que nous tables et que, s’ils doivent être ju­ sions. « Si vous la laissez mourir, naires de Syrie ou d’Irak. Des fa­ étions ici. Nous serons assimilés à gés, ils ne seront pas passibles de je vous jure que je me vengerai. milles souvent affiliées à Daech, des djihadistes et ils nous tueront », la peine de mort », explique Mah­ Daech vous punira. » auxquelles s’ajoutent des déplacés redoute-t-iL moud Ibrahim Kero, membre du À l’entrée du camp, trois pick­ être dupe. Pour les organisations originaires des territoires occupés Une peur partagée par tous les comité chargé des camps de dé­ up blancs sîglés du logo de la humanitaires, aider ce type de par le groupe djihadiste, qui ont Irakiens que nous avons rencon­ placés dans la province. Croix-Rouge stationnent. Nous ne population est extrêmement déli­ fui les combats. Si aucune charge trés. Depuis leur victoire contre En réalité, la majorité des chefs croiserons pratiquement aucune cat, explique prudemment une ne pèse sur ces derniers, ils sont Daech en Irak, ces milices proches tribaux s’oppose au retour de ces autre association internationale responsable d’ONG qui souhaite eux aussi contraints de vivre dans de l’Iran, omniprésentes sur tout le familles soupçonnées d'avoir prêté durant notre visite. «Il ne faut pas garder l’anonymat, cela représente l’enfer d’Al-Hol, faute de pouvoir territoire irakien, se rendent cou- Suite page 4 • ••

3 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti

La Croix -jeudi 1er août2019 ÉVÉNEMENT

• •• Suitede la page 3 « De toute façon, ils distribuent allégeance à Daech. Cinq mois toujours la même chose. C’est déjà après la chute du califat, seule­ ce qu’on mangeait pendant le ment 800 femmes et enfants sy­ siège de Baghouz. Les enfants, ça riens ont pu quitter Al-Hol et ren­ leur donne la diarrhée et moi l’en­ trer dans leurs villages. « Personne vie de vomir. Je préfère faire les ne sait quoi faire d’eux, et aucun courses moi-même. » Pour gagner pays ne veut les récupérer. C'est quelques dollars supplémentaires pour ça qu’ils les laissent mourir et tuer le temps, cette femme ori­ là, glisse un humanitaire qui tra­ ginaire du sud de la France a aussi vaille depuis plusieurs années ouvert un stand de sandwichs. entre la Syrie et l’Irak. Bien sûr, «On a créé une petite économie à la situation très instable dans la l’intérieur... on fait notre vie. » région complique le retour des fa­ milles locales. Mais pour les dji- « Certaines ont hadistes occidentaux et leurs en­ fants, il n’y a pas d’excuse, leurs basculé dans pays doivent les rapatrier. Ce se­ quelque chose rait déjà ça de moins!» Encerclés par une tranchée de bien plus extrême profonde de quelques mètres, que Daech. Elles les onze mille étrangers du camp vivent séparés du reste des dé­ nous traitent de tenus. Une plaine silencieuse, kouffar, brûlent nos presque déserte. Quelques sil­ houettes en abayas noires flottent, tentes et attaquent inatteignables. Des enfants turcs celles qui ne pensent narguent un soldat qui monte la garde, «La nuit, soupire-t-il le pas comme elles. » visage dissimulé par un foulard noir, ces rats se glissent sous le gril­ lage et attaquent les Syriennes et les Irakiennes de l’autre côté. » En plus de l’aide financière de Depuis plusieurs semaines, les leurs proches, bon nombre de autorités kurdes refusent catégo­ djihadistes occidentales peuvent riquement l’accès à cette partie du compter sur le soutien de partisans camp aux journalistes étrangers, de Daech du monde entier. Dans invoquant des raisons de sécu­ une récente enquête, le Rojava In­ rité. Discrètement, plusieurs res­ formation Center, un centre de re­ ponsables évoquent des directives cherche basé au Kurdistan syrien, imposées par l’État français. Un révèle que de nombreuses prison­ accord tacite, qui permettrait de nières d Al-Hol reçoivent réguliè­ limiter la couverture médiatique rement des dons de réseaux sala- concernant les conditions de dé­ flstes européens, via la plateforme tention de ces femmes et enfants de paiement en ligne Paypal. Une que la France ne souhaite rapa­ campagne de financement parti­ trier qu’au cas par cas. cipatif allemande intitulée « Jus­ tice pour les sœurs » aurait même «Bien sûr, récolté plus de 3 000 € en soutien aux prisonnières d’Al-Hol. la situation très Si cette aide extérieure améliore instable dans les conditions de vie des djiha­ distes étrangères, toutes décrivent la région complique un climat d’extrême violence et le retour des familles des relations très tendues entre les codétenues. « Certaines ont locales. Mais pour basculé dans quelque chose de bien les djihadistes plus extrême que Daech, explique Parmi tes 73 000personnes retenues dans le camp d’Al-Hol, plus des trois quarts sont originaires une djihadiste belge qui assure de Syrie ou d’Irak et sont livrées à elles-mêmes. Photos Baderkhan Ahmad occidentaux et leurs de son côté n’avoir rien renié de enfants, il n’y a pas la doctrine du califat. Elles nous Kurdistan syrien, le camp de Roj foulard fleuri dans les cheveux. choristes au piano dans la pièce traitent de kouffar (mécréants en accueille lui aussi des étrangers Tout au long de notre visite, elle d’à côté. d’excuse, leurs pays arabe, NDLR), brûlent nos tentes et et des déplacés syriens et irakiens. s’appliquera à présenter son camp En chœur, les enfants de Daech doivent les rapatrier. attaquent celles qui ne pensent pas Mais ici, ni séparation entre les comme un modèle. Le programme entonnent des chansons de pro­ comme elles. » nationalités ni surpopulation. est millimétré, les interlocuteurs, pagande de la milice qui a défait Ce serait déjà ça Pour ces ultras, la chute du cali­ Quelques centaines de tentes seu­ triés sur le volet. le groupe terroriste et les tient pri­ de moins!» fat serait une punition divine, un lement, surmontées de réservoirs Il est un peu plus de 10 heures. sonniers. La scène est à l’image de châtiment infligé à des djihadistes d’eau, posées au milieu des puits L’heure de l’école. Dans des pré­ la visite : une vitrine à la gloire des ayant dévié de la volonté d’Allah. de pétrole. Au loin, des voix d’en­ fabriqués bariolés de dessins jau­ Kurdes. Dans les allées du camp, Dans l’annexe où sont parquées fants et le crissement des balan­ nis par le soleil, des dizaines d’en­ les mères se déplacent libre­ Faute de pouvoir les rencontrer, les étrangères d’Al-Hol, une idéo­ çoires rouillées viennent briser le fants chahutent, sous l’œil distrait ment. Certaines portent toujours La Croix a pu contacter par télé­ logie plus radicale encore que calme. de quelques bénévoles, un dessin le niqab, obligatoire sous Daech, phone plusieurs djihadistes étran­ celle qui avait conduit ces femmes Des gardes kurdes patrouillent animé en fond sonore. Une petite mais beaucoup choisissent de ne gères détenues à Al-Hol. Toutes à rejoindre la Syrie ou l’Irak serait le sourire aux lèvres, le long d’une fille aux yeux clairs, hijab noir sur plus dissimuler leur visage. racontent vivre un quotidien donc en train de naître. Le lende­ fine barrière métallique. «Lefait les cheveux, bavarde en russe avec «Lasituation s’est beaucoup apai­ moins rude que leurs codétenues main de notre dernière visite à que les djihadistes et les déplacés une autre qui semble être sa sœur sée depuis quelques mois. Les femmes irakiennes et syriennes. «Pour Al-Hoi, une femme indonésienne soient mélangés et moins nom­ jumelle. Ici, garçons et filles de se déradicalisent, car nous prenons le les gosses, c’est carrément le Club aurait été tuée, selon une agence breux permet aux organisations 48 nationalités suivent ensemble temps de discuter avec elles, de les ac­ Med!», dit même une djihadiste de presse kurde. Enceinte de six humanitaires de travailler plus des cours d’arabe littéraire, mais compagner, assure fièrement notre française qui, grâce à l’argent que mois, elle aurait été torturée et facilement ici qu’à Al-Hol. Elles aussi de kurde, la langue officielle guide. Nous leur donnons des cours lui envoie sa famille, se passe dé­ battue à mort par plusieurs de ses viennent en aide aux résidents de la région autonome. « Ils sont de couture et de sport, ça les éloigne sormais des cartons de rationne­ codétenues. sans faire de différence entre les très heureux d’apprendre notre de l’idéologie de Daech. » Sur son ment fournis par les organisations À deux cents kilomètres au origines », explique la respon­ langue », assure un professeur passage, les détenues la saluent cha­ humanitaires. nord-est d’Al-Hol, toujours au sable du camp, Jody Qamislo, un qui accompagne une dizaine de leureusement. L’une d’entre •••

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La Croix -jeudi 1er août2019 ÉVÉNEMENT

paroles Abou Bakr Al Baghdadi, aurait également trouvé refuge dans cette zone du sud-est syrien. « Daech a gardé Ils sont aussi encore présents une forte capacité dans les villages arabes de la vallée de l’Euphrate, d’où de de nuisance nombreux combattants sy­ en Syrie » riens sont originaires. Les Forces démocratiques sy­ riennes (FDS) n’osent pas trop Fabrice Balanche aller les y chercher, de peur de Spécialiste de la Syrie, provoquer des révoltes popu­ maître de conférences laires au sein des tribus qui les à l’université Lyon 2 protègent. En Syrie, Daech a gardé une forte capacité de nuisance, « Les derniers djihadistes de comme en témoignent les at­ Daech sont essentiellement tentats qui frappent toujours retranchés aujourd’hui dans la régulièrement les FDS, ou les steppe (de la Badiyah, NDLR), incendies qui ravagent les ré­ entre Palmyre et la frontière coltes de blé des paysans dans irakienne. Il se dit que son la région ». ancien “calife” autoproclamé, Recueilli par Malo Tresca

■ • • elles, en foulard violet, surgit qu’un nouveau front s'ouvre avec de sa tente et lance un « bonjour!» la Turquie, nous ne serons plus souriant. La responsable du camp en mesure d’assurer la détention l’autorise à nous parler. Quelques des djihadistes », menace en off minutes d’échange en français, un cadre militaire. occasion inespérée d’une discus­ sion sans le filtre des gardiens, « La vraie guerre qui gardent une oreille sur notre conversation. contre l’idéologie Déçue par Daech, Claire ra­ de Daech commence conte s’être rendue aux forces kurdes il y a un an et demi, et maintenant. vivre, depuis, ici avec son fils de La coalition 3 ans. Son mari fait partie des onze Français transférés en Irak internationale doit et condamnés à mort par le tri­ comprendre qu’elle bunal de Bagdad. « C'est un petit Guantanamo, en mieux quand ne peut pas partir !» même », concède Claire. « Nous sommes très surveillées, ajoute- t-elle, la nuit il y a parfois des Autre objet de négociation : descentes dans nos tentes. Et l’établissement d’un tribunal puis, j'ai peur pour mon fils car international sur le sol kurde. beaucoup de maladies circulent Alors que les autorités locales dans le camp. Plusieurs enfants réclamaient jusqu’à récemment sont morts cet hiver. » La jeune le rapatriement des combattants femme n’a plus qu’une chose en étrangers, elles proposent désor­ tête : être rapatriée avec son fils. mais d’établir chez elles une cour « Ils ne peuvent pas nous laisser spéciale pour juger les crimes de croupir là éternellement, si?», de­ Daech, sur le modèle des tribu­ mande-t-elle, sans attendre vrai­ naux mis en place au Rwanda et ment de réponse. en ex-Yougoslavie. Claire le sait, le sort des djiha­ « Le fait que l’administration distes étrangers est loin d’être autonome du nord-est de la Sy­ scellé. D’abord, parce que plu­ rie aspire à un statut politique sieurs pays occidentaux re­ n’est plus un secret pour per­ fusent catégoriquement de les sonne, analyse Chloé Troadec, rapatrier. Ensuite parce que les chercheuse au Rojava Informa­ Kurdes syriens, conscients de ces tion Center. Et compte tenu du réticences, comptent utiliser ces refus ou de la lenteur de certains détenus comme levier de négo­ pays à rapatrier leurs ressortis­ ciation. « La vraie guerre contre sants, la mise en place d’une juri­ l’idéologie de Daech commence diction internationale surplace maintenant. La coalition inter­ est désormais présentée par les nationale doit comprendre qu’elle responsables locaux comme la ne peut pas partir », prévient le seule solution réaliste. » D'autant responsable kurde, Mahmoud qu’une telle décision du Conseil Ibrahim Kero. de sécurité des Nations unies se­ Car la survie de la région au­ rait, pour les Kurdes, une avan­ tonome, cernée par les forces cée historique vers la reconnais­ turques au nord et l’armée de Ba- sance de leur souveraineté sur le char Al Assad à l’ouest, semble nord-est de la Syrie. largement conditionnée à la Noë Pignède Le camp de Roj est présenté comme mt modèle avec une école pour les enfants, des cours de musique présence des Occidentaux sur le et un accès pour les organisations humanitaires. Photos Baderkhan Ahmad terrain. * Si la coalition s'en va et (1) Certains prénoms ont été changés.

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t > TUnn 1 Par Marie Jégo et Benjamin Barthe XEXIUJTlUt Le 01 août 2019 Chez les Syriens d'Istanbul, la peur de l'expulsion

La cité du Bosphore est celle qui accueille la plus grosse part des 3,6 millions de res­ capés de la guerre civile syrienne établis sur le sol turc. Mais pour Ankara, la ville a atteint le maximum de sa capacité. Depuis quelques jours, Fatih a changé de visage. du CHP, le parti kémaliste, dont le chef de file, Le flot de réfugiés syriens, habitués à déambuler Kemal Kilicdaroglu, répète à l'envi qu'il faut dans les ruelles de ce quartier de la rive euro­ « renvoyer tous les Syriens chez eux ». péenne d'Istanbul, à qui ils donnaient l'allure d'une « petite Damas », s'est réduit. « Ce genre de discours ne correspond pas vrai­ ment à la réalité du terrain », juge Sinan Hata- « Beaucoup de gens se cachent chez eux ou limi­ het, un analyste syrien, qui réside à Istanbul. tent leurs déplacements au trajet entre la maison et le travail, raconte à voix basse Mahmoud, un « C'est vrai que les classes populaires turques jeune Alépin, qui travaille comme serveur dans pâtissent de la concurrence économique des Sy­ un restaurant syrien de ce secteur. La pression riens. Mais les classes moyennes ont beaucoup des autorités est très forte. Les illégaux ont la profité de cette population qui a de l'argent et trouille de se faire renvoyer en Syrie. » qui consomme. »

Ce climat de peur est le résultat de la campagne Des réfugiés syriens réintègrent leur pays après A l'occasion des municipales, les réfugiés ont néan­ d'arrestation et d'expulsion que la préfecture d'Is­ avoir été expulsés de Turquie, à Bab al-Hawa, moins été la cible de propos xénophobes et de cam­ tanbul a lancée à la mi-juillet à l'encontre des di­ le 24 juillet. AAREF WATAD / AFP pagne de harcèlement sur Internet, avec le mot zaines de milliers de Syriens qui résident dans la dièse #Dehors_les_Syriens. Et deux jours après sa cité du Bosphore clandestinement. Une catégorie Dans une vidéo sur Internet, Mohamed Mustawi, victoire, Ekrem Imamoglu, le nouveau maire d'Is­ qui recouvre à la fois ceux dont le titre de séjour 15 ans, affirme avoir eu droit au même traite­ tanbul, membre du CHP, a déploré l'abondance mentionne une ville de résidence autre qu'Istanbul ment, alors qu'il disposerait d'une résidence à d'enseignes rédigées en arabe dans certains quar­ et ceux qui sont démunis de tous papiers. Sanliurfa, dans le sud-est de l'Anatolie. Amr tiers. « Il n'est pas possible de changer le visage Dabboul, un réfugié de 27 ans, candidat à la mi­ d'Istanbul », s'est écrié le nouvel édile. Cette population, évaluée par l'Office internatio­ gration en Europe, que Le Monde a pu contacter nal des migrations entre 100 000 et 300 000 per­ par WhatsApp, s'est lui aussi retrouvé obligé de « La Turquie était censée être le pays sûr pour sonnes, s'ajoute aux 550 000 Syriens qui vivent renoncer à son titre de séjour. les Syriens et cet espace est en train de se refer­ légalement dans la mégalopole de 16 millions mer. » Nadim Houry, directeur d'Arab Reform d'habitants. Poumon économique de la Turquie, « J'ai été mis en prison mi-juillet, après avoir été Initiative riche en petits boulots, Istanbul est la ville qui capturé par les gardes-côtes turcs, au large d'Iz­ accueille la plus grosse part des 3,6 millions de mir, alors que j'étais dans un bateau qui se diri­ Quelques jours plus tard, le 29 juin, une foule de rescapés de la guerre civile syrienne établis sur geait vers la Grèce, raconte le Syrien. Ils m'ont Turcs en colère a attaqué à coups de pierres les le sol turc. expliqué que je resterais derrière les barreaux commerces syriens du quartier périphérique de aussi longtemps que je refuserais de signer l'or­ Küçükçekmece à Istanbul. Une rumeur, infon­ La chasse aux clandestins prend la forme de dre d'expulsion. Alors je me suis exécuté et ils dée, selon laquelle un jeune Syrien du quartier contrôles d'identité inopinés dans les stations de m'ont renvoyé en Syrie. » avait agressé sexuellement une fillette, a suffi à métro et les gares et de descentes de police dans mettre le feu aux poudres. les commerces tenus ou fréquentés par des Sy­ La Turquie justifie ce durcissement par le fait riens. Sur les quatre mille indésirables arrêtés ces qu'elle aurait atteint le maximum de sa capacité « Aucune issue de secours » derniers jours, la plupart ont été renvoyés dans d'accueil. C'est le pays qui abrite le plus de Sy­ Rapportés à la masse de la population syrienne, leur région d'enregistrement. Mais plusieurs cen­ riens au monde, près de quatre fois plus que l'en­ ces incidents restent mineurs. Mais pour les ob­ taines d'entre eux ont aussi été déportés dans le semble des Etats de l'Union européenne (UE). servateurs, l'accroissement du sentiment antisy­ nord-ouest de la Syrie, en violation du droit hu­ Selon un sondage réalisé début juillet par l'uni­ rien et son instrumentalisation par la classe manitaire international, cette zone étant fréquem­ versité privée Kadir Has d'Istanbul, la proportion politique turque augurent un avenir difficile. ment bombardée par l'armée syrienne et son allié de Turcs opposés à la présence syrienne est pas­ russe ; selon les Nations unies (ONU), au moins sée de 54,5 % en 2018 à 67,7 % en 2019. « La Turquie était censée être le pays sûr pour 450 civils ont été tués depuis le début de l'offen­ les Syriens et cet espace est en train de se refer­ sive en avril, dont une centaine ces dix derniers Cibles de propos xénophobes mer », observe Nadim Houry, directeur du cercle jours. Touchés de plein fouet par l'inflation et la baisse de réflexion Arab Reform Initiative, à Paris. de leur pouvoir d'achat, les ménages turcs ap­ Contraint de signer un papier prouvent de moins en moins la politique d'ac­ « Malheureusement cette intolérance progresse Les autorités turques prétendent que ces rapatrie­ cueil des « frères » syriens, imposée à partir de beaucoup plus vite que les négociations censées ments ont tous été volontaires, mais plusieurs cas 2012 par le président Recep Tayyip Erdogan. mettre un terme au conflit. La pression augmente attestent du contraire. Amjad Tablieh, un réfugié sur les épaules des Syriens alors qu'ils n'ont tou­ syrien de 18 ans, a, par exemple, été interpellé le Au sein de l'AKP, le parti islamo-conservateur jours aucune issue de secours. » 20 juillet, non loin de Fatih, alors qu'il faisait des au pouvoir, l'idée s'est même imposée que la courses. Incapable de produire son titre de séjour perte de la mairie d'Istanbul aux municipales du Il y a quelques jours, réalisant leur erreur, les au­ qu'il avait laissé à son domicile, le jeune homme 23 juin serait due à cette politique. M. Erdogan, torités turques ont autorisé Amjad Tablieh à re­ a été renvoyé en Syrie après avoir été contraint qui avait loué il y a trois ans le rôle supposé des venir à Istanbul. Amr Dabboul lui aussi a remis de signer un papier attestant du caractère « vo­ Syriens dans la mise en échec du coup d'Etat qui le pied en Turquie, mais en franchissant la fron­ lontaire » de son expulsion. le visait, s'aligne de plus en plus sur les positions tière de façon clandestine.

6 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti

1 août 2019 Un adolescent kurde tué par des tirs d'hélicoptère à Hakkari

n hélicoptère de l'armée turque a ou­ vert le feu jeudi sur des villageois, dans la province de Hakkari, au UNord-Kurdistan (Turquie).

Le groupe visé par l'attaque était constitué d'habitants du village de Çemekurk, dans le district de Derecik, qui revenaient du sud- Kurdistan (Irak), portant des produits de contrebande.

Un adolescent âgé de 14 ans a été tué sur le coup tandis qu'un autre villageois a été griè­ vement blessé.

L'attaque meurtrière a eu lieu vers 15 heures, heure locale. Le corps de l'adoles­ cent a été découvert par les villageois qui ont accouru sur les lieux après l'attaque.

Les forces de sécurité turques commettent du commerce transfrontalier. Jusqu'à pré­ neurs, ont été tués par des bombardements sent, les auteurs de ces crimes n'ont jamais de l'aviation turque, dans le village fronta­ régulièrement des crimes le long de la fron­ été poursuivis par la justice turque. lier de Roboski, à Uludere, district de la pro­ tière, contre les villageois kurdes qui vivent Le 28 décembre 2011, 34 civils, dont 19 mi­ vince de Çirnak.

1 août 2019 Turquie: neuf militants kurdes arrêtés à Izmir

euf militants kurdes ont été arrêtés tôt ce matin, dans le cadre d'un raid de la police dans plusieurs districts d'Izmir, Nen Turquie. De nombreuses perquisitions ont par ailleurs été menées par la po­ lice qui a saisi des livres et des documents numériques.

Accusées d'appartenance à une organisation illégale, les personnes arrêtées ont été conduites à la direction de la sécurité provinciale.

Xe HîanÛe Par Marie J駰 1 °i/°8/2°i9 Turquie : en liberté pr°vis°ire, le mathématicien Tuna Altinel est t°uj°urs p°ursuivi par la justice

'homme de 53 ans, maître de confé­ Libéré mardi 30 juillet par un tribunal de Ba- chaine audience de son procès a été fixée au rences à l'université Claude-Bernard likesir (nord-ouest de la Turquie) après 81 19 novembre. Lyon-I, est accusé d'appartenir à un jours d'incarcération, le mathématicien Tuna Lgroupe terroriste pour avoir participé, en Altinel, maître de conférences à l'université A sa sortie de prison, l'enseignant a notam­ France, à une conférence sur les Kurdes. Il a Claude-Bernard Lyon-I, n'en a toutefois pas ment raconté comment il a initié ses codéte­ été emprisonné durant 81 jours. encore fini avec la justice turque. La pro­ nus au français à l'aide d'un vieux 7 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti

Bescherelle, soulignant avoir « beaucoup appris d'eux ». Placé en liberté provisoire sans contrôle judiciaire, le mathématicien de 53 ans n'a pas été exempté des charges qui le visent, son affaire n'ayant pas encore été jugée sur le fond.

Accusé d'appartenir à une organisation ter­ roriste, à savoir le Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK), en guérilla contre l'Etat turc depuis 1984, il risque plusieurs années de prison pour avoir participé, en fé­ vrier 2019 à Lyon, à la réunion d'une asso­ ciation kurde enregistrée en France. Son arrestation a déclenché un vaste mouve­ ment de solidarité dans le milieu universi­ taire français. Comme il l'a souligné mardi lors de l'audience, l'unique charge qui pèse contre lui est « d'avoir aidé à organiser la réunion légale d'une association légale », au cours de laquelle il a traduit les propos de certains des intervenants.

Dispensé de contrôle judiciaire, Tuna Altinel est libre mais ne peut quitter le territoire turc Tuna Altinel à sa sortie de prison, à Balikesir (Turquie), le 30 juillet. YASIN AKGUL / AFP faute de passeport, le sien lui ayant été confisqué par les autorités. Son sort est em­ blématique de la répression qui s'est abattue nées alors par les forces de sécurité dans les compensation d'un montant de 9 000 livres sur des milliers d'universitaires et d'intellec­ régions kurdes du sud-est de la Turquie. turques (environ 1 500 euros). tuels, victimes des purges massives qui ont « Nous ne serons pas les complices de ce suivi le coup d'Etat manqué du 15 juil­ crime », clamaient les signataires. Pour An­ Cette décision a suscité un tollé parmi les let 2016. kara, la pétition est un acte de « propagande médias progouvernementaux, qui l'ont qua­ en faveur du PKK »et les personnes qui lifiée de « scandaleuse ». De fait, la Cour Depuis, plus de 20 000 universitaires ont l'ont signée sont des suppôts du terrorisme. constitutionnelle est l'une des rares ins­ perdu leurs postes. Certains ont été radiés Tuna Altinel risque trois ans de prison. La tances judiciaires qui échappent au contrôle et privés de passeport, d'autres ont été prochaine audience de ce procès-ci a été du président Erdogan, puisque plusieurs condamnés, parfois emprisonnés par une fixée, elle, au 26 décembre. des juges qui en font partie doivent leurs no­ institution judiciaire épurée elle aussi avec minations à l'ancien président Abdullah le limogeage de près de 4 000 juges et pro­ Un espoir de voir les signataires de cette pé­ Gül, aujourd'hui éloigné du chef de l'Etat. cureurs. tition lavés de tout soupçon est apparu ven­ dredi 26 juillet, lorsque la Cour Attaquée de toutes parts, la Cour a dû se « Propagande en faveur du PKK » constitutionnelle a qualifié leurs condamna­ justifier. Dans un communiqué de presse Installé en France depuis 1996, le mathéma­ tions de « violation de la liberté d'expres­ diffusé mercredi, l'instance explique que sa ticien diplômé du lycée francophone Gala- sion ». A une très courte majorité (neuf voix décision ne vaut pas approbation de la péti­ tasaray à Istanbul n'a jamais renoncé à son contre huit), les juges ont estimé qu'avoir tion. « La Cour est consciente de ce que la engagement politique dans son pays d'ori­ signé la pétition n'était pas un crime. Ils ont pétition en question a été préparée dans un gine. A ce titre, il a signé en 2016, avec près indiqué que les requérants, neufs universi­ but déterminé et qu'elle contenait des de 2 000 autres universitaires turcs, une pé­ taires condamnés qui s'étaient adressés à la commentaires exagérés, blessants et agres­ tition réclamant l'arrêt des opérations me- Cour, avaient le droit de réclamer une sifs à l'endroit des forces de sécurité. »

LE FIGARO Par Stanislas Poyet | le 01/08/2019 Le bras de fer entre la Russie et la Turquie aux pourparlers de paix sur la Syrie

n treizième round de négociations depuis 2017. En deux années, elles ont tota­ l'opposition soient conviés à la même table, s'ouvre ce jeudi 1er août à Nur-Sul­ lement éclipsé les pourparlers de Genève l'objet de ce sommet concerne bien plus le tan au Kazakhstan, pour trouver entamés par les forces de la coalition. Les rapport de force entre pays étrangers impli­ Uune voie de sortie au conflit syrien. La RusNations­ unies ainsi que des représentants qués dans le conflit. L'enjeu principal du sie, l'Iran et la Turquie se retrouvent autour des pays voisins qui abritent des millions de sommet est la question du gouvernorat de la table, rejoints par une délégation du réfugiés syriens seront présents en tant d'Idlib, bastion surpeuplé du nord-ouest de gouvernement syrien et des rebelles, mais qu'observateur: la Jordanie, mais aussi et la Syrie. Ce territoire est contrôlé à ce jour sans les membres de la coalition emmenée pour la première fois le Liban et l'Irak. par Hayat Tahrir al-Sham - HTS, issu de la par les États-Unis. fusion de plusieurs groupes rebelles dont La reconquête d'Idlib au cœur des certains affiliés à Al-Qaïda - et le Front Na­ Ces négociations - dites d'Astana, du nom négociations tional de Libération (FNL), une force rebelle de l'ancienne capitale kazakh - se tiennent Bien que les représentants du régime et de dite modérée. Depuis quatre mois, l'armée

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syrienne mène une offensive contre ce terri­ toire abritant près de 50.000 combattants, appuyée par les frappes de l'aviation russe. «La Russie alterne entre coups de pressions militaires et diplo­ matiques»

Frédéric Pichon Dans le gouvernorat d'Idlib, la Russie et la Turquie sont dans des camps opposés. Si la Russie appuie militairement le régime de Bachar el-Assad depuis 2015, la Turquie - qui a longtemps réclamé la tête du président syrien, avant de se raviser face à l'impossi­ bilité de renverser le régime - soutient les re­ belles du FNL, directement visés par l'offensive conjointe de Damas et Moscou. Pourtant, ces deux pays ne cessent de se rapprocher depuis quelques années, comme en témoigne la récente livraison de missiles Vladimir Poutine et Recep Tayyip Erdogan lors d'une conférence de presse sur le conflit syrien, à An­ sol-air russes S-400 à la Turquie, pourtant kara en septembre 2018. ADEM ALTAN/AFP membre de l'OTAN. Pour le chercheur Frédéric Pichon, «la Rus­ - ce qui n'est pas sans provoquer son lot de sie alterne entre coups de pressions mili­ problèmes internes. Ankara souhaite donc Le nord-ouest de la Syrie taires et diplomatiques». Selon lui, éviter à tout prix une offensive massive «l'objectif de la Russie n'est pas la conquête dans le gouvernorat d'Idlib surpeuplé. Seu­ CONTRÔLE TERRITORIAL (OU PRÉSENCE) FIN JUILLET 2019 de la province - son offensive depuis plu­ lement, Recep Tayyip Erdogan serait prêt à Régime syrien Forces kurdes et leurs alliés (FDS).... sieurs mois est plutôt mesurée - mais bien abandonner son soutien à l'opposition sy­ . Base aérienne de l'armée .... avec le soutien des Américains de peser de tout son poids dans les négocia­ rienne en échange de concession sur un tions avec la Turquie». Pour cause, Moscou autre dossier qui lui est cher: les Kurdes. souhaite qu'Ankara abandonne les rebelles du FNL, afin d'amorcer une reconquête pro­ gressive du territoire. Moscou et Ankara en­ Pour Frédéric Pichon, Erdogan «pourrait visagent une guerre d'usure pour affaiblir abandonner les rebelles en échange d'un en­ les groupes rebelles, sans risquer une offen­ gagement contre les Kurdes. Ankara sou­ sive massive trop coûteuse. haite que le Rojava [nom de la région indépendante kurde syrienne, NDLR] ne La Turquie prête à des concessions en soit jamais une réalité». Recep Tayyip Erdo­ échange de mesures contre les Kurdes gan craint que la constitution d'une région autonome kurde en Syrie ne renforce les vel­ Depuis son engagement dans le Nord-Ouest léités séparatistes des Kurdes de Turquie. syrien, la Turquie cherche à éviter un défer­ «La question kurde est la seule boussole de lement migratoire sur son sol. Le pays abrite la politique étrangère d'Erdogan», conclue déjà 4 millions de réfugiés syriens - c'est le Frédéric Pichon.

Source : Graphie News Infographie LE FIGARO pays comptant le plus de réfugiés au monde

01/08/2019 | Zhelwan Z. Wali Four Kurdish security members, including com­ mander, killed in ISIS attack south of Kirkuk

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Islamic State as an Asayesh member named Haidar (ISIS) militants killed four Kurdish security Fuad, were among those killed, according members and wounded eight others in an to Khalil Khudada, head of the Patriotic assault on a checkpoint near Kifri south of Union of Kurdistan (PUK) office in Jalawla. Kirkuk Wednesday night "ISIS launched the attack in the beginning A group of ISIS fighters attacked the with mortar shells, firing some mortars on checkpoint manned by Kurdish security the center of Kolajo town," Khudada said. forces known as Asayesh in Kolajo in the "They later attacked the Gulala Asayesh Garmiyan region at 11:00 pm. Commander base with snipers." of Garmiyan operations Aso Jalal, as well

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laid targeted a ve­ Kalar and Tuz Khurmatu. Diyala is dis­ hicle of the counter puted between both the Kurdistan Region terror forces and and Iraqi federal governments. killed two of its members. ISIS remnants have maintained a presence in the Hamrin mountains in the area, de­ Among the spite Peshmerga and Iraqi Security Forces' wounded are two operations. civilians, four CTG members and two The militant group was declared defeated Asayesh members, in Iraq in December 2017, but sleeper cells according to Khu- and small groups of the jihadists are still dada. active, especially in areas disputed be­ "Two of the tween Baghdad and Erbil in the security wounded are in gaps between the Peshmerga and Iraqi critical condition," forces. and were rushed to Khudada added that after ISIS attacked Sulaimani for treatment, he said. the Asayesh base, Kurdish Counter-Terror Group (CTG) forces rushed to repel them. Kifri is in the Diyala province and is 188 Then, a landmine which the militants had kilometers southeast of Erbil between

02/08/2019 | Karwan Faidhi Dri Kurd, 14, shot dead by Turkish border guards in Hakkari

ment added, without disclosing the victim's identity.

The mountainous area sees regular clashes be­ tween the PKK and the Turkish Army, but has also become a popular smuggling route. Ciga­ rettes, drugs, and other contraband cross the bor­ der in this fashion.

The PKK-affiliated ANF news agency said the “villagers” were returning to Turkey from the Kurdistan Region when they were targeted by Turkish helicopters at around 3 p.m. local time on Thursday.

Kurdish social media users compared Ekinci's A Turkish military helicopter files over Hakkari's mountainous border area with the Kurdistan death to the December 2011 killing of 34 Kurds Region. File photo: AFP in neighboring Sirnak - known as Roboski Mas­ sacre - when Turkish jets mistook a group of RBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish death of “a citizen” in the Derecik district in smugglers for PKK fighters. border guards shot dead a 14-year-old a statement on Friday. boy in the Turkish province of Hak- One of these people was the pro-Kurdish Ekari on Thursday. Officials said the victimIt said the incident took place in an area Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) lawmaker was part of a group of people crossing Tur­ used by a “terror organization” against Garo Paylan, who tweeted: “Roboski con­ key's shared border with the Iraqi Kurd­ Turkish state - referring to the Kurdistan tinues.” istan Region illegally. Workers' Party (PKK). The death of the boy, named by local media The HDP also condemned the killing of Ekinci, as Vedat Ekinci, has caused outrage on so­ “A number of people were trying to enter calling on authorities to provide answers. cial media, with several users comparing northern Iraq [Kurdistan Region] illegally the incident to a 2011 Turkish bombing on August 1, 2019 but they were given Stop which killed 34 smugglers in neighboring Warning by our border units,” it said. “The killing of 14-year-old Vedat Ekinci is Sirnak province. the second Roboski massacre. We call on the “[They] did not follow the Stop Warning authorities to immediately issue a state­ News of the shooting was first published by and [instead] headed to northern Iraq but ment. The murderers of children will not go unpunished,” it said in a tweet on Friday. pro-Kurdish media outlets in Turkey, [Turkish forces] fired warning bullets as per which claimed Ekinci was shot from a Turk­ engagement rules.” ish helicopter. The government and the ruling Justice and One person was taken to Dericik Sahra Hospital Development Party (AKP) are yet to com­ Hakkari governor's office confirmed the but later succumbed to their injuries, the state­ ment on the incident.

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REUTERS 02/08/2019 Turkey starts filling huge Tigris river dam, activists say

STANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey has started filling a huge hydroelectric dam on the Tigris river, a lawmaker and ac­ Itivists said, despite protests that it will dis­ place thousands of people and risks creating water shortages downstream in Iraq.

Citing satellite images, they said that water was starting to build up behind the Ilisu dam, a project that has been decades in the making and which aims to generate 1,200 megawatts of electricity for southeast Tur­ key.

Turkish officials have not commented on work at the dam. Turkey's State Hydraulic Works (DSI), which oversees dam projects, referred questions to the Presidency, and the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry was not available to comment.

However, President Tayyip Erdogan said earlier this year that Turkey would start fill­ ing the Ilisu dam in June, a year after it A general view of the ancient town of Hasankeyf by the Tigris river, which will be significantly submerged briefly held back water before backing by the Ilisu dam being constructed, in southeastern Turkey, June 1, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas down following complaints from Iraq about reduced water flows in mid-summer. SUBMERGED TOWN The rising waters of the dam are also ex­ The dam, which first gained Turkish gov­ pected to eventually submerge the 12,000- ernment approval in 1997, is a key part of year-old town of Hasankeyf. Residents are Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Project, de­ being moved from the ancient town to a signed to improve its poorest and least de­ “New Hasankeyf” nearby, while historic ar­ veloped region. tefacts have also been transported out of the area. Iraq says the dam will create water short­ ages by reducing flows in one of two rivers A group of NGOs, lawmakers and labor which the country depends on for much of unions shared satellite images of the dam its supplies. Around 70% of Iraq's water showing the increase in water levels be­ The Tigris river flows through the ancient town supplies flow from neighboring countries, tween July 19-29. of Hasankeyf, which will be significantly submer­ especially via the Tigris and Euphrates ged by the Ilisu dam being constructed, in sou­ rivers which run through Turkey. “The current situation is strengthening the theastern Turkey, August 26, 2018. idea that the valves have been closed per­ REUTERS/Sertac Kayar Satellite images from the past two weeks manently,” the group, known as Hasankeyf show the dam has started holding water, Coordination, said in a statement. said Necdet Ipekyuz, a lawmaker from Tur­ The European Court of Human Rights in key's pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic “Because the dam lake is growing every day, February dismissed the case brought by en­ Party (HDP). He said a road in the area has the people who live in these areas are worried. vironmental campaigners to block the dam already been submerged. They cannot know when the water will reach project, saying heritage protection is the re­ their residential or agricultural areas.” sponsibility of Turkish authorities and it had “They are taking steps slowly to decrease no jurisdiction. the reactions to water being held. That is The Iraqi government said in a statement why they are not informing the public,” he that Turkish and Iraqi officials had dis­ The government needs to make an an­ said, adding that several HDP lawmakers cussed the water resources of the two rivers nouncement, even if the dam were being tried to visit the dam in July but were pre­ in Baghdad on Wednesday to see how they filled for a trial run, said HDP's Ipekyuz. vented by police. could “serve the interests of both countries”. “They are trying to tie a belt around the Ti­ gris river 's neck and suffocate it,” he said. Environmental campaigners have unsuc­ Turkey proposed setting up a joint research cessfully challenged the dam project at the center in Baghdad for water management Additional reporting by John Davison and European Court of Human Rights on the and to work together on some agriculture Ahmed Aboulenein in Baghdad; Editing by grounds it would damage the country's cul­ plantations in Iraq, as well as projects for de­ Dominic Evans and Susan Fenton tural heritage. velopment of drinking water infrastructure.

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02/08/2019

Turkey starts filling dam that Iraq says will cause major water shortages

long with the resulting lower levels of the Tigris River in Iraq, rising waters at the site of Ilisu Dam would Asubmerge the 12,000-year-old town of Ha- sankeyf. (Photo: National Geographic/Julia Harte)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - Turkey has started filling a controversial dam with water as part of a massive hydroelectric project that has been protested for years because it would submerge local residential and ar­ cheological areas and substantially decrease Iraq's water supply.

“They are taking steps slowly to decrease the reactions to water being held. That is why they are not informing the public,” Necdet Ipekyuz, a lawmaker from Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) told Reuters. Along with the resulting lower levels of the Tigris River in Iraq, rising waters at the site of Ilisu Dam According to Ipkyuz and activists, satellite would submerge the 12,000-year-old town of Hasankeyf. (Photo: National Geographic/Julia Harte) images from the past two weeks show that Ilisu Dam has begun to fill, rising above the neighboring countries, namely Turkey and Activists have been attempting to halt the level of at least one road. He added that a Iran. project since, saying it would damage the number of HDP lawmakers have recently country's cultural heritage, since rising attempted to visit the site, but were pre­ waters at the vented by police. Patnos site of the dam llisu Dam Y are expected llisu, 47750 Dargeçit/Mardin, Turkey When Reuters asked Ankara to confirm the Directions to submerge claims, Turkey's State Hydraulic Works 2.4 ★★★★•* 30 reviews the 12,000-

(DSI), which oversees dam projects, referred View larger map Tat van year-old town questions to the Presidency. The Agriculture of Hasankeyf. and Forestry Ministry said it was not avail­ able to comment. Local res­ Diyarbakir Batman idents are Siverek In early 2019, President Tayyip Erdogan being moved Hakkâri said that Turkey would start filling the dam from the an­ Yüksekov« in June, a year after it briefly held back Mardin cient town to a ?anhurfa water before backing down following com­ •Kiziltepe “New Hasan- plaints from Iraq about reduced water flows -Nusaybih' Duhok keyf” nearby in mid-summer. Ceylanpinau m Soran and many his­ Al Hasakah ûIjS-uj toric artifacts The effects of Turkish dams have long Mosul have also been caused significant reduction of water levels transported in the Tigris River downstream in the Iraqi elsewhere. capital of Baghdad, Mosul, and in the marshlands of southern Iraq, raising fears of Google On Wednes­ drought which would affect the country's Map data ©2019 Google, Mapa GISrael, ORION-ME , Terms of Use day, officials livestock and agriculture. from Turkey, The dam, which was designed to generate Iraq, and the Kurdistan Regional Govern­ Iraq says the dam will create water short­ 1,200 megawatts of electricity for southeast ment (KRG) took the first steps toward the ages by reducing flows in one of two rivers Turkey, was first approved by Ankara in construction of three dams to be built just which the country depends on. Roughly 70 1997. south of the Turkish border in the Kurdistan percent of Iraq's water supply flow from Region's province of Erbil.

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Ifavnf QOO 02/08/2019 I Par | GfVUI wUU Boris Thiolay Kurdistan syrien : situation explosive dans les camps pour djihadistes

Mutineries violentes, tentatives d'évasion, propagande... Les centres de détention pour les membres de Daech, dont quelques centaines de Français, sont des poudrières.

haleur infernale, malnutrition, surpopulation, manque d'hygiène et de soins... Le tout porté à ébullition par une pression idéologique perma­ Cnente. Depuis la chute, en mars dernier, des ultimes re­ tranchements de l'État islamique aux confins sud-est de la Syrie, les camps de détention gardés par les Kurdes, au nord-est du pays, ressemblent à des poudrières cernées par les flammes. Plus de 80 000 civils -femmes et enfants de djihadistes en ultramajorité-, s'entassent dans ces vé­ ritables prisons à ciel ouvert que sont devenus les camps d'Al-Hol, de Roj et d'Aïn Issa, au Rojava, le territoire tenu par les forces Kurdes en Syrie. Parmi ces détenus, se trouvent environ 10 000 étrangers - 2000 femmes et 8000 enfants dont 370 Français (250 enfants). Ces der­ niers se trouvent dans une situation inextricable. Alors que certains pays rapatrient leurs ressortissants, Paris a choisi de laisser les membres français de Daech sur place, afin qu'ils y soient jugés. À l'exception des mineurs, dont la situation est examinée "au cas par cas"... Dans les faits, la France n'a rapatrié que 17 orphelins, confiés de­ puis lors à des proches ou aux services sociaux. Dorothée Maquere, veuve du djihadiste français Jean-Michel Clain, assise en compagnie de quatre de ses cinq Depuis des semaines la tension monte dans les camps de enfants survivants, après la chute du dernier retranchement de Daech en Syrie, le 5 mars 2019. Elle est au­ jourd'hui détenue dans un camp gardé par les forces kurdes au nord-est de la Syrie. AFP/Delil SOULEIMAN détention kurdes. Et les incidents, plus ou moins alar­ mants, s'y multiplient. Le 5 avril dernier, la prison de traitement. Or, c'est l'inverse qui se produit", témoigne "Les forces kurdes de Syrie ne sont pas en mesure de dé­ Derik, réputée être la plus sécurisée du Rojava, est le maître Nabil Boudi, qui a pu accéder au camp, début juil­ tenir autant de personnes, tout en assurant des conditions théâtre d'une importante mutinerie : près de 200 détenus, let, à l'occasion d'une conférence internationale sur le ter­ suffisantes de sécurité et d'étanchéité dans les camps", tous anciens membres de l'État islamique, mènent des at­ rorisme organisée au Kurdistan syrien. Les familles se souligne Jean-Charles Brisard, président du Centre d'ana­ taques coordonnées contre leurs gardiens. La tentative trouvent dans une situation d'extrême vulnérabilité. Elles lyse du terrorisme (CAT), qui s'est lui aussi rendu au Kur­ d'évasion n'échoue que grâce à l'intervention de forces manquent de tout. Certaines n'ont accès qu'à un peu de distan syrien, début juillet. "Ces lieux ne sont pas conçus sécuritaires kurdes et au survol de la prison, à basse alti­ farine, de sucre et d'eau pour se nourrir". Cet avocat pari­ pour des détentions longues. Le Kurdistan syrien n'est tude, par deux avions de chasse de l'armée américaine. sien, qui défend une quinzaine de familles -ainsi que des pas un état reconnu. Ses représentants n'ont ni les moyens djihadistes français condamnés à mort à Bagdad (Irak)-, financiers, ni les moyens juridiques, d'organiser le procès Parmi les mutins, se trouvaient une vingtaine de Français, n'a pas pu parler directement à ses clients. "A l'intérieur et l'incarcération de milliers de personnes, poursuit-il. dont quelques cadres et propagandistes de Daech : Tho­ des camps, les tensions sont permanentes entre les Nous sommes face à un risque important d'évasion et de mas Barnouin, Mohamed Megherbi ou Adrien Guihal... femmes qui cherchent à échapper à la propagande de dispersion des détenus djihadistes, notamment ceux de Ils ont été depuis transférés dans d'autres prisons de la ré­ Daech et celles qui en font la promotion." nationalité française." gion, dont celle de Qamishli, la "capitale" du Kurdistan syrien. Des Françaises déplacées à la suite de violences La stratégie du maintien à distance des prisonniers fran­ Selon Nabil Boudi, plusieurs Françaises ont été récem­ çais est assumée par Paris. "Ces terroristes, parce qu'il Enfants mourants, gardiens poignardés ment transférées du camp de Roj vers d'autres lieux de s'agit bien de terroristes qui nous ont attaqués [...] doivent Au camp d'Al-Hol, la situation est explosive. Environ 70 détention, à la suite de violences. Difficile de savoir si être jugés là où ils ont commis leurs crimes", rappelait 000 Syriens et Irakiens s'agglutinent sur le site principal. elles en étaient les victimes ou les coupables. Jean-Yves Le Drian, ministre des Affaires étrangères à la Près de 10 000 étrangers sont, eux, cantonnés dans le fin du mois de mai dernier. Le gouvernement français camp annexe délimité par un grillage. Les conditions sa­ Le 14 juillet dernier, l'épouse française d'un djihadiste, avait pourtant élaboré un plan de rapatriement concernant nitaires y sont épouvantables. Plusieurs dizaines d'enfants enceinte de huit mois et accompagnée de son fils de trois 250 personnes, hommes, femmes et enfants. Les per­ en bas âge sont morts ces derniers mois. A plusieurs re­ ans, est parvenue à s'évader du camp pendant quelques sonnes majeures, qui font toutes l'objet d'une procédure prises, des gardes ont été poignardés. Ils sont régulière­ heures , ainsi que l'a révélé Libération. La jeune femme judiciaire, devaient être placées en détention provisoire ment caillassés par des enfants, encouragés par leurs a profité d'une visite à l'hôpital d'Al-Malikiyah, une ville avant d'être jugées. Une vingtaine de prisons s'étaient pré­ mères, fanatiques d'Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, le "calife" au­ des environs, pour s'échapper. Accompagnée par un parées à les réceptionner. Mais, face à une très forte hos­ toproclamé de Daech. A la mi-juillet, une vidéo circulant garde, elle demande à aller aux toilettes. Là, elle échange tilité de l'opinion publique, cette opération a finalement sur les réseaux sociaux montrait le drapeau noir de l'Etat son niqab noir pour une blouse d'infirmière. Puis elle ha­ été annulée. islamique hissé sur un lampadaire d'Al-Hol. bille son fils avec une robe de petite fille et un chapeau. Le maintien de milliers d'adeptes de Daech dans des Elle réussit ensuite à quitter l'hôpital au nez et à la barbe camps chauffés à blanc présente lui aussi des risques. A Al-Roj ("Soleil couchant"), un camp de plus petite en­ de son gardien. Elle est finalement retrouvée quelques Pour rappel, c'est à Camp Bucca (Irak), un centre de dé­ vergure où sont détenues des familles, les conditions sont heures plus tard en ville : un passeur s'apprêtait à la gui­ tention où furent regroupés jusqu'à 26 000 prisonniers, tout aussi exécrables. "Pour lutter contre l'idéologie de der jusqu'à la frontière turque voisine... entre 2003 et 2009, que des cadres d'Al-Qaeda avaient Daech, il faudrait garantir des conditions humaines de jeté les bases du futur État islamique.

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2, August 2019 | Ahval Turkey, Russia and Iran's joint statement rejects Kurds' ‘separatist' agenda in Syria

urkish, Russian, and Iranian leaders released a joint statement regarding the situation in Syria in a trilateral Tsummit organised in the Kazakh capital of Astana on Aug. 2.

The 13th round of meetings on Syria was fo­ cused on the situation in Idlib, the last rebel- held enclave in Syria, and northern Syria controlled by U.S.-backed Kurdish forces, as well as the situation in northern Syria, where Kurdish-led autonomous areas are under threat of Turkish attack.

An agreement signed by Turkey and Russia last September prevented regime attacks on the province, which is home to an estimated 3 million people, including hundreds of inate blacklisted armed groups in Idlib while in­ thousands of refugees. creasing efforts to ensure the protection of the In response to a question on guaranteeing civilian population, the statement continued. the rights of the Kurdish people in the Syr­ Assad regime forces backed by Russia have ian constitution, the head of the Russian del­ launched intensive bombing and ground at­ The three countries also declared their op­ egation, Alexander Lavrentev, said Moscow tacks this year on Idlib after Moscow said position to the autonomous regions set up was encouraging dialogue between the au­ Turkey had failed to live up to its agreement by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic tonomous administrations and the govern­ to remove “extremist” opposition groups Forces (SDF) and predominantly Kurdish ment in Damascus. from the agreement's de-escalation zone in People's Protection Units (YPG) in northern southern Idlib. Syria, saying in the statement that they “re­ "We support the dialogue and this makes jected ... all attempts to create new realities our position different from the positions of The jihadist group Tahrir al-Sham, which in­ on the ground under the pretext of combat­ the rest of the parties," he said. cludes fighters from al Qaeda-linked ing terrorism.” groups, has become a dominant force in the The Syrian Kurds began talks with Damas­ province since the agreement was signed. The Kurdish groups established a large, self­ cus following the U.S. President Donald governing territory in the north and east of Trump's abrupt Dec. 19 announcement that The statement said the leaders at the meet­ Syria after driving the Islamic State (ISIS) he was pulling U.S. troops from Syria. ing had "reviewed in detail the situation in out of the area. the Idlib de-escalation area and highlighted Trump's announcement has since been the necessity to establish calm on the Turkey opposes the groups for their links to rowed back, but the Kurdish forces are still ground by fully implementing all agree­ Kurdish militants fighting for self-rule in in danger of attack from Turkey, which has ments on Idlib, first and foremost the Mem­ Turkey, while Russia and Iran wish for Syr­ declared its intention to launch a military orandum of 17 September 2018." ian President Bashar al-Assad's regime to operation to clear their presence from its regain control of the entire country. border. But all parties will continue cooperation to elim- Joint Statement by Iran, Russia and Turkey on the International Meeting on Syria in the Astana format, Nur-Sultan

he Islamic Republic of Iran, the Rus­ 2. Reaffirmed in this regard the respect for ground by fully implementing all agree­ sian Federation and the Republic of universally recognized international ments on Idlib, first and foremost the Turkey as guarantors of the Astana legal decisions, including those provi­ Memorandum of 17 September 2018. Tformat: sions of the relevant UN resolutions re­ They expressed serious concern with the jecting the occupation of Syrian Golan, increased presence of the terrorist orga­ 1. Reaffirmed their strong commitment to first and foremost UN Security Council nization “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” in the the sovereignty, independence, unity and resolution 497; area and reaffirmed the determination to territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Re­ continue cooperation in order to ultima­ public and to the purposes and prin­ 3. Reviewed in detail the situation in the tely eliminate DAESH/ISIL, Al-Nusra ciples of the UN Charter; Idlib de-escalation area and highlighted Front and all other individuals, groups, the necessity to establish calm on the undertakings and entities associated

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with Al-Qaeda or DAESH/ISIL, and 7. Held detailed consultations on the trila­ power supply facilities, schools and hos­ other terrorist groups, as designated by teral basis as well as with the representa­ pitals as well as the humanitarian mine the UN Security Council. While deplo­ tives of the Office of the United Nations action. They also discussed the idea and ring civilian casualties, they agreed to Secretary-General's Special Envoy for exchanged views on the perspectives of undertake concrete measures, based on Syria Geir O. Pedersen on the conclusion holding the International Conference on the previous agreements, to ensure the of formation and launching of the the Humanitarian Assistance to Syria; protection of the civilian population in Constitutional Committee in Geneva, in accordance with the international huma­ accordance with the decisions of the Sy­ 10. Highlighted the need to facilitate safe nitarian law as well as the safety and se­ rian National Dialogue Congress in and voluntary return of refugees and in­ curity of the military personnel of the Sochi. They expressed satisfaction with ternally displaced persons (IDPs) to their guarantors present within and outside the progress made on finalization of the original places of residence in Syria, en­ the Idlib de-escalation area; composition and the rules of procedure suring their right to return and right to of the body and reiterated their readiness be supported. In this regard they called 4. Discussed the situation in the north-east to facilitate the convening of the commit­ upon the international community to of Syria and emphasized that long-term tee as soon as possible; provide appropriate contributions and security and stability in this region can reaffirmed their readiness to continue in­ only be achieved on the basis of respect 8. Welcomed the fourth successful opera­ teraction with all relevant parties, inclu­ for the sovereignty and territorial inte­ tion on mutual release of detainees/ab- ding the Office of the United Nations grity of the country; ductees held on 31 July 2019 within the High Commissioner for Refugees framework of the respective Working (UNHCR) and other specialized inter­ 5. Rejected in this regard all attempts to Group of the Astana format. They un­ national agencies; create new realities on the ground under derscored that the Working Group was a the pretext of combating terrorism, inclu­ unique mechanism, that had proved to 11. Welcomed the participation of the dele­ ding illegitimate self-rule initiatives, and be effective and necessary for building gations of Iraq and Lebanon as new ob­ expressed their determination to stand confidence between the Syrian parties, servers of the Astana format. They against separatist agendas aimed at un­ and agreed to take measures to continue expressed their conviction that the obser­ dermining the sovereignty and territorial and step up its work; vers (Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon) would integrity of Syria as well as threatening contribute to the efforts to bring peace the national security of neighboring 9. Emphasized the need to increase huma­ and stability in Syria; countries; nitarian assistance to all Syrians throu­ ghout the country without 12. Expressed their sincere gratitude to the 6. Expressed their conviction that there preconditions. In order to support the Kazakh authorities for hosting in Nur­ could be no military solution to the Sy­ improvement of the humanitarian situa­ Sultan the 13th International Meeting on rian conflict and reaffirmed their tion in Syria and the progress in the pro­ Syria in the Astana format; commitment to advance the Syrian-led cess of the political settlement, they and Syrian-owned, UN-facilitated politi­ called upon the international commu­ 13. Decided to hold the next International cal process in line with the UN Security nity, the United Nations and its humani­ Meeting on Syria in the Astana format in Council resolution 2254 and the deci­ tarian agencies, to enhance the assistance Nur-Sultan in October 2019.Ahval, 0 sions of the Syrian National Dialogue to Syria, inter alia by developing early re­ Congress in Sochi; covery projects, including the restoration of basic infrastructure assets - water and

LE JOUR 02/08/2019 Cinq ans après l'EI, les Yazidis fêtent l'été mais n'oublient pas les tueries

Lalish, sanctuaire des Yazidis dans le nord de l'Irak, des centaines de personnes célèbrent la fête de l'été, Aassombrie cette année encore par le sou­ venir de l'offensive meurtrière du groupe État islamique (EI), il y a tout juste cinq ans.

Au milieu de femmes vêtues de T-shirt commémorant le "génocide" et brandis­ sant des clichés de Yazidis suppliciés par les jihadistes, les dignitaires, longue robe blanche et keffieh sur la tête, ont défilé sa­ medi, avec à leur tête Hazem Bek, récem­ ment intronisé prince des Yazidis. "Nous Une Yazidie irakienne au temple de Lalish, commémorons la mémoire de toutes les située dans une vallée proche de la ville de personnes tuées lors du génocide il y a Dohuk, dans le Kurdistan irakien, le 2 août cinq ans", martèle-t-il. 2019. Photo AFP / SAFIN HAMED

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Les Yazidis sont une minorité kurdophone pour que cette communauté bri­ adepte d'une religion monothéiste ésoté­ sée puisse rentrer chez elle et re­ rique. Ils sont considérés comme héré­ construire sa vie", a-t-elle plaidé, tiques par l'EI, qui en 2014, a tué en appelant autorités irakiennes et quelques jours des centaines d'hommes kurdes à "trouver en urgence des de la communauté, enrôlé de force des en­ solutions". fants-soldats et réduit des milliers de femmes à l'esclavage sexuel. La cause des Yazidis est portée à l'étranger par Nadia Murad, prix Si Lalish, au Kurdistan irakien, est de nou­ Nobel de la Paix 2018, qui sillonne veau le cœur battant de la vie religieuse le monde avec l'avocate Amal des Yazidis, leur bastion historique de Sin- Clooney pour que la commu­ jar, à plus de 300 km de là, est ravagé. La nauté internationale reconnaisse politique de la terre brûlée de l'EI a privé le "génocide" dont a été victime de son gagne-pain cette communauté Hazim Tahsin Beg (à droite sur la photo), le nouveau chef de sa communauté. d'agriculteurs et les services publics n'y la communauté yazidie, en visite au temple de Lalish, le 2 août sont toujours pas rétablis car la reconstruc­ 2019. Photo AFP / SAFIN HAMED tion tarde à débuter. "J'espère que quelque chose sera fait pour Le crime de génocide est le plus grave du Sinjar, car actuellement, (la région) est droit international et l'ONU enquête ac­ tellement dévastée que c'est comme si elle tuellement pour établir si l'EI a commis n'existait pas", déplore Alia Barkat, jeune des crimes de guerre, des crimes contre femme yazidie venue à Lalish, où des fi­ l'humanité ou un génocide, notamment à dèles se pressent pour allumer des bou­ l'encontre des Yazidis d'Irak. Ils étaient gies, faire brûler des huiles ou participer 550.000 dans le pays avant 2014 - soit un au rituel de purification du temple. tiers des Yazidis du monde -, mais depuis, 100.000 ont pris le chemin de l'exil et Des femmes yazidies brandissant des pho­ L'envoyée spéciale de l'ONU en Irak, Jea­ 360.000 autres s'entassent toujours dans tos de victimes deJ'invasion par l'EI de la nine Hennis-Plasschaert, a dénoncé dans des camps de déplacés, en majorité au région du Sinjar, le 2 août 2019. Photo AFP un communiqué "l'échec actuel de la sta­ Kurdistan. / SAFIN HaMeD______bilisation" de Sinjar. "La stabilité est vitale

03/08/2019 EkurdDauly»Know Vour World, rresh Perspectives in New» Iraqi Kurdistan parliament designates Aug. 3 as Yazidi genocide remembrance day.

raq's Kurdistan region,— Iraqi Kurdis­ merga militia forces withdrew from the area tan Parliament on Saturday passed a bill without a fight leaving behind the Yazidi ci­ declaring August 3, as the annual Day vilians to IS killing and genocide. Iof Remembrance of the Genocide against the Yazidis. An unpublished report by Iraq's Kurdistan regional government KRG reportedly re­ MPs attending a Saturday parliamentary veals that an 18,000 peshmerga forces of session passed a resolution to “designate KRG were on the spot and retreat without August 3 as Yazidi Genocide Remembrance mounting any defense when Islamic state IS Day” and called for reparations to survivors attacked the Yazidi area of Sinjar. and the families of victims “under the pro­ vision of the Iraqi constitution,” according Many Yazidis, critics, Kurdish politicians to the Kurdistan Parliament website. and observers blame Massoud Barzani, the commander in-chief of the Peshmerga, for The legislation, which recognizes the crimes the Yazidi massacre. Thousands of Yazidi fleeing Islamic State vi­ against the Yazidi community as genocide olence in Sinjar town in northwest Iraq to­ and addresses issues such as reparations to In 2017 Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament Speaker ward Syria, August 10, 2014. Photo: Reuters be paid by the federal government, passed Yusuf Mohammed Sadiq said parliament with all 87 members present voting in favor had informed Massoud Barzani that KDP Thousands of Yazidi women were raped and of the bill. Peshmerga forces in Sinjar were weak, seve­ murdered, with many of the survivors sold ral weeks before the district fell to the Isla­ into sexual slavery and taken away to other The solemn session was opened with a mic State IS in August 2014. parts of Iraq, Syria, and even further afield. speech by Yazidi lawmaker Hedya Alu, fol­ Men and boys were systematically murdered, lowed by a moment of silence. Thousands of Yazidi families fled to Mount forced to work for the group, or coerced into Sinjar, where they were trapped in it and becoming child soldiers. In August 2014, the Islamic State ISIS mili­ suffered from significant lack of water and tants attacked the Sinjar district, which was food, killing and abduction of thousands of It is estimated that 3,000 Yazidis were killed home to hundreds of thousands of Yazidis as well as rape and captivity of over a period of several days and 6,800 Yazidis, after Massoud Barzani's KDP pesh- thousands of women. others were abducted.

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Although several thousand Yazidis have tic Party (KDP) President Masoud Barzani his Peshmerga forces failed to protect them been rescued over the last four-and-a-half on Saturday urged Baghdad and Erbil to do from Islamic State, while the Kurdistan years, another 3,000 remain missing. more to rebuild Sinjar. Workers' Party PKK and its Syrian sister party are widely seen as the Yazidis' saviors. Hundreds of thousands more were displa­ “Today we remember a catastrophic event ced and most of those have not been able to that happened to the residents of Sinjar by The Yazidis are a Kurdish speaking religious return home. the hand of [Islamic State],” he said, adding group linked to Zoroastrianism and Su­ that the victims should receive compensa­ fism. The religious has roots that date back Sinjar remains one of the least stable parts tion from the government. to ancient Mesopotamia, are considered he­ of Iraq, with many Yazidis reluctant to re­ retics by the hard-line Islamic State group. turn because of their houses were des­ “We ask of the Kurdistan Regional Govern­ troyed. A lack of public services or jobs ment and the Iraqi Government to coope­ Some 600,000 Yazidis live in villages in Iraqi prevents many who would like to return rate in rebuilding Sinjar and to let the Kurdistan region and in Kurdish areas out­ from doing so. people there have authority [over local af­ side Kurdistan region in around Mosul in fairs],” said Barzani, who was President of Nineveh province, with additional commu­ Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Nadia Murad the Kurdistan Region at the time of the mas­ nities in Transcaucasia, Armenia, Georgia, has repeatedly criticized both Erbil and sacre. Turkey and Syria. Since the 1990s, the Yazi- Baghdad for not doing more to rebuild the dis have emigrated to Europe, especially to area's infrastructure and create the condi­ Barzani added that what happened in early Germany. There are almost 1.5 million Yazi- tions that would enable displaced Yazidis to August 2014 constituted genocide and that dis worldwide.Copyright © 2019 Ekurd.net. return home. it is necessary for the international commu­ All rights reserved nity to recognize it as such. In a statement marking the fifth anniversary of the Yazidi genocide, Kurdistan Democra­ But most Yazidis lost faith in Barzani when

03 août 2019 La prix Nobel de la paix 2018 Nadia Murad appelle les Yazidis à rentrer au Sinjar

"LES AUTORITéS IRAKIENNES ET KURDES N'ONT RIEN FAIT POUR NOUS"

La prix Nobel de la paix 2018, Nadia Murad, a appelé les Yazidis à rentrer dans leur région irakienne du Sinjar, samedi à Stuttgart à l'occasion du 5e anniversaire du début des exactions commises contre son peuple par le groupe EI.

"Aujourd'hui, plus de 90.000 (Yazidis) sont revenus à Sinjar, il faut que plus encore rentrent pour faire échouer le plan de l'EI qui consistait à les chasser de Sinjar", a dé­ claré la jeune femme, porte-voix de cette minorité décimée qui réclame une recon­ naissance des crimes djihadistes. Nadia Murad a fait partie des milliers de femmes et de petites filles yazidies enle­ vées et réduites à l'esclavage par le groupe EI lorsqu'il s'est emparé de pans entiers de l'Irak en 2014.

"Les autorités irakiennes et kurdes n'ont rien fait pour nous et actuellement il n'y Iraqi Nobel laureate Nadia Murad (pictured December 2018) was the victim of human trafficking for sexual ex­ aucune autorité locale dans la région de ploitation, but trafficking is also used to "finance activities" or increase workforces. SABAH ARAR (AFP/File) Sinjar", a toutefois déploré l'Irakienne qui répondait à l'invitation du Conseil central aussi, selon elle, "dédommager les sur­ rité kurdophone adepte d'une religion mo­ des Yazidis d'Allemagne. vivantes yazidies de l'EI mais jusqu'ici nothéiste ésotérique. En quelques jours, elles n'ont toujours rien eu". les jihadistes du "califat" autoproclamé ont Estimant que "le déminage et l'exhuma­ tué des centaines d'hommes de la commu­ tion des charniers" étaient "une avancée Bagdad a versé à certainesYazidies un verse­ nauté, enrôlé de force des enfants-soldats positive", elle a réclamé que soient rétablis ment unique d'environ 1.700 dollars, soit un et réduit des milliers de femmes à l'escla­ les services publics dans cette région, no­ peu plus de trois fois le salaire mensuel vage sexuel. tamment les écoles et les hôpitaux. moyen en Irak pour tout dédommagement. Près de 3.000 Yazidis sont toujours portés En août 2014, l'EI s'est livré, selon l'ONU, disparus, en majorité des femmes et des Les autorités irakiennes et kurdes doivent à un potentiel génocide contre cette mino- enfants peut-être toujours captifs de l'EI.

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ASHARQ AL-AWSAT Saturday, 3 August, 2019

‘Guarantor States' Reach Understanding Against Syria's Kurdish Administration

he guarantor states of the Astana pro­ cess - Russia, Iran Turkey - failed on Friday to reach any decisions on is­ Tsues placed on the agenda of the 13th round of talks, amid Russian-Iranian disputes on the Golan Heights

The talks in Nur-Sultan took place in the presence of representatives from Iraq, Leba­ non and Jordan, in the absence of UN spe­ cial envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen.

Diplomatic sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the meeting “failed to reach the results that the guarantor states had hoped for.”

The three states postponed announcing the creation of a committee, which will be tasked with drafting a constitution for post­ war Syria. Syrian regime representatives and opposition delegates along with other attendees take part in Syria Instead, they agreed that the committee peace talks in Astana on December 22, 2017. AFP file photo. London - Ibrahim Hamidi would be announced at the Russia-Iran-Tur- key summit expected next month. Also, a lengthy debate took place between the Russian and the Iranian delegations on In return, the guarantor states said they op­ The three countries also disagreed on the the Golan, until the two states agreed on pose the autonomous regions set up by the implementation of the Sochi agreement general terms, including “respecting and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and reached on Sept. 17, 2018 between Turkey adhering to goals and principles of the UN the Kurdish People's Protection Units in and Russia, and the withdrawal of fighters Charter and the international resolutions, northern Syria, saying they threaten the se­ from the demilitarized zone in northwest that reject occupying the Syrian Golan, curity of neighboring countries, in reference Syria. mainly Resolution 497.” to Turkey. XU August 03-2019 171 remains of Kurds unearthed in first mass grave in Iraq's Samawah desert: official

uring the excavation of the first mass of remains after initial estimates pointed to about grave in the Iraqi desert of Samawahh, 171 80 victims, but the final results were more than remains of Kurds had been extracted, an doubled. Jalal said the remains would be trans­ Dofficial said on Saturday. ferred to Baghdad for DNA tests. Fuad Osman, a spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region's Ministry of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs, Traditional Kurdish clothes, children's accessories, said the 171 bodies belonged to Kurdish victims including pacifiers, dresses, shoes, and baby pow­ of the former Iraqi regime's brutal Anfal cam­ der, were found buried among the bodies. paign. Between 1986 and 1989, the government of Sad­ “This is the first of the three mass graves that have dam Hussein undertook a campaign of genocide The remains of Kurdish victims of the former Iraqi been found,” Osman told Kurdistan 24, adding against the Kurds in the north. Nearly 182,000 eth­ regime's Anfal campaign were found in a mass they plan “to unearth the remaining two in the nic Kurds were killed in an operation spearheaded grave in the Samawah desert of Iraq's Muthanna province. (Photo: Kurdistan 24) near future.” by the infamous Ali Hassan al-Majid, also known as “Chemical Ali.” On July 23, the unearthing of the first mass grave The recovery of bodies from the Samawah mass began in the outskirts of Samawah city, which lies Many people, including women and children, grave would serve as closure as well as proof of on the borders of Muthanna province in southern were forcefully displaced and transferred to the injustices citizens suffered under the former Iraq. camps in southern Iraq where the government Iraqi regime so that they can ask the current fed­ Sirwan Jalal, the Director of the Mass Graves De­ eventually killed them and consigned them to eral government for reparations. partment, said they were surprised at the number mass graves, burying others alive in the desert. Editing by Karzan Sulaivany

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Ekurd Daily «3/08/2019 Know Your World. FiïjIi Prnptriivej in New» 20 Turkish soldiers killed in clashes with PKK in Turkey's Kurdish southeast: HPG

DIYARBAKIR-AMED, Turkey Kurdistan,— Turkey has been fighting the PKK since a Twenty Turkish soldiers were killed in fragile ceasefire between both sides collap­ clashes with Kurdish militants belonging to sed in 2015. the Kurdistan Workers' Party PKK in Tur­ kish Kurdistan in the southeast of the coun­ The Turkish military routinely carries out try, HPG, the military wing of PKK said in airstrikes and artillery bombardments in a statement on Saturday. Iraqi Kurdistan against suspected PKK tar­ gets, but their frequency has increased since HPG Press Center issued a written state­ Ankara launched “Operation Claw” in May ment published by Firat News Agency ANF, 2019, as have civilian casualties. announced that 14 Turkish soldiers were kil­ led in a PKK action in Sirnak's Uludere dis­ A second phase of that operation trict and 6 soldiers in the ensuing clashes. was started in July 2019.

The HPG statement said: “On August 1 our Kurdish PKK female fighter, 2019. Photo: The PKK took up arms in 1984 against the forces carried out an action against the in­ Turkish state, which still denies the consti­ ANF vading Turkish army positioned on a hill to tutional existence of Kurds, to push for grea­ ensure security of the Martyr Kendal out­ ter autonomy in Turkish Kurdistan for post in Sirnak's Qileban (Uludere) district. “On July 29 at noon, our forces carried out the Kurdish minority who make up Our forces advanced to the positions in a a sabotage action against a Turkish army ve­ around 22.5 million of the country's 79-mil- raid style and struck the enemy soldiers at hicle transporting supplies to the Stuna Hill lion population. More than 40,000 Turkish close range. They entered the positions and in Hakkari's Cele (Cukurca) district. In this soldiers and Kurdish rebels, have been kil­ killed 14 enemy soldiers on the hill, and in­ action the vehicle was damaged and 1 spe­ led in the conflict. jured several. After the action the Turkish cialist sergeant and 1 counterguerrilla unit army bombed the vicinity with Howitzers, were heavily injured.” the statement added. A large Kurdish community in Turkey and mortars and jets.” worldwide openly sympathise with PKK re­ Four PKK fighters were killed in the clashes, bels and Abdullah Ocalan, who founded the “On August 2, the invading Turkish army according to the statement. PKK group in 1974 and currently serving a launched an operation in the vicinity of life sentence in Turkey, has a high symbolic Martyr Welat Hill. Clashes broke out bet­ The statement said “4 of our comrades value for most Kurds in Turkey and world­ ween our forces and Turkish soldiers. 6 sol­ fought until their last bullet and detonated wide according to observers. diers were killed in these clashes and 4 were their own bombs to not fall captive to the injured.” enemy.”

Barzani calls for joint Baghdad-Erbil plan to help return displaced Yezidis

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - The head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Masoud Barzani, has called for a joint effort action plan to be worked out between Baghdad and Erbil to rehabilitate the city of Sinjar (Shingal) and facilitate the return of Yezidis (Ezidis) displaced by the Islamic State. Yezidis (Ezidis) in tears fleeing The comments came in a statement released the Islamic on Saturday, Aug. 3, which marks five years State's 2014 at­ since the beginning of the extremist group's tack on the city attack on the Ezidi majority city and the of Sinjar (Shin- start of its radical fighters' horrific crimes gal). (Photo: against the religious minority. New York Times/Afam In a statement, Barzani said, “Erbil and Ferguson) Baghdad need to work together to rebuild

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the city of Shingal to provide a suitable their homes and compensate them for their Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to foundation for displaced Ezidis to return to losses.” restore stability to war-torn Shingal. their home.” Also on Saturday, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani urged the United Nations On Saturday, the Kurdistan Parliament held “What happened to Ezidis at the hands of to officially declare the Islamic State's acts its final vote to officially designate Aug. 3 as the Islamic State is a continuation of heart­ against Ezidis as a genocide. In a tweet, he Ezidi Genocide Remembrance Day. rending adversaries the people of the Kurd­ said, "On 5th anniversary of genocide against istan Region have suffered throughout Yezidis in Shingal, we solemnly remember So far, 80 mass graves containing the re­ history,” he added, in reference to the re­ those who fell victim to ISIS atrocities in Kurd­ mains of Ezidis have been found in Shingal gime of Saddam Hussein's deadly Anfal istan & beyond. We won't rest until we eradi­ and its surroundings among the remains of campaign against the Kurds. cate terror & bring kidnapped victims home. what used to be a thriving city, now mostly We urge UN to recognize this genocide to pre­ rubble. At least 68 temples and other reli­ He called for strengthening “local and inter­ vent similar acts." gious buildings were also destroyed. national efforts to identify the attack on the ethnic minority as genocide, and to intensify Multiple UN agencies and commissions Disputed between Erbil and Baghdad, the the search to find and recover the kid­ have referred to the Islamic States' crimes area is currently under the control of Iraqi napped and missing Ezidis.” against Ezidis as acts of genocide since security forces and mostly Shia militias. A statement by Kurdistan Region Prime 2016. These forces, plus a limited number of Pesh- Minister Masrour Barzani read that the re­ merga and other Kurdish fighters, are pres­ gion, in cooperation with the federal gov­ On Thursday, head of the United Nations ent in Shingal and its outskirts, with reports ernment, would “do everything possible to Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) Jean­ of tensions over who will control the strate­ ease the suffering of our Ezidi brother and ine Hennis-Plasschaert called for swift ac­ gic town that lies near the Syrian border. sisters and also to help them get back to tion from both the Iraqi government and the

Iraqi president urges parliament to pass Yezidi Survivors Act

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - Iraqi President Barham Earlier on Saturday, the head Salih on Saturday called on the Iraqi parlia­ of the Kurdistan Democratic ment to pass a law introduced by him in April Party (KDP), Masoud Bar- that aims to help female Yezidis (Ezidis) who zani, called for a joint effort suffered under the Islamic State. action plan to be worked out between Baghdad and Erbil Salih's appeal came in a statement issued on to rehabilitate the city of Sin- the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the jar (Shingal) and facilitate the extremist group's attack on the Ezidi majority return of Yezidis (Ezidis) dis­ city of Sinjar (Shingal) and the start of its rad­ placed by the Islamic State. ical fighters' horrific crimes against the reli­ In a statement, he argued to gious minority. strengthen “local and inter­ national efforts to identify Just before the president's statement was re­ the attack on the ethnic mi­ leased, the Kurdistan Parliament held its final nority as genocide, and to in­ vote to officially designate Aug. 3 as Ezidi tensify the search to find and President Barham Salih's appeal came on the fifth anniversary of the Genocide Remembrance Day. recover the kidnapped and Islamic State's attack on the Yezidi (Ezidi) majority city of Sinjar missing Ezidis.” (Shingal). (Photo: Getty Images/Emrah Yorumaz) Salih said, “We expect the presidency and members of the Council of Representatives to A statement by Kurdistan Region Prime Min­ Multiple UN agencies and commissions have accelerate the ratification of the bill of survi­ ister Masrour Barzani read that the region, in referred to the Islamic States' crimes against vors... to ensure the rights of survivors and cooperation with the federal government, Ezidis as acts of genocide since 2016. their behalf and compensate them, materially would “do everything possible to ease the suf­ and morally.” fering of our Ezidi brother and sisters and also On Thursday, head of the United Nations As­ to help them get back to their homes and com­ sistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) Jeanine The Iraqi president's law, called the Ezidi Sur­ pensate them for their losses.” Hennis-Plasschaert called for swift action from vivor's Act, is supported by many but did both the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan cause controversy when it was first made pub­ Also on Saturday, Kurdistan Region President Regional Government (KRG) to restore stabil­ lic because it only addresses female Ezidi sur­ Nechirvan Barzani urged the United Nations ity to war-torn Shingal. vivors. to officially declare the Islamic State's acts against Ezidis as a genocide. In a tweet, he “As we pay our tributes and honor the past,” “It ought to include the rest of the victims, as said, “On 5th anniversary of genocide against she said, “we must also look towards the fu­ there are male and children survivors who are Yezidis in Shingal, we solemnly remember ture and thus take decisive action. Decisive ac­ living under very precarious conditions. Espe­ those who fell victim to ISIS atrocities in Kurd­ tion to facilitate and accelerate the cially in the case of the children, who lost all istan & beyond. We won't rest until we eradi­ reconstruction of affected areas, enabling the family members and became orphans with no cate terror & bring kidnapped victims home. safe return of the people, as a very first prior­ breadwinner,” said Ezidi writer Saman Daoud We urge UN to recognize this genocide to pre­ ity to cope with deep tragedy.” to AL-Monitor at the time. vent similar acts.”

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03/08/2019

vSDF can contribute to prosecution of foreign ISIS fighters: Dutch gov't advisor

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - Although it would be difficult to set up an international court in the region, other nations can ask the Syr­ ian Democratic Forces (SDF) for support to prosecute foreign Islamic State fighters, the Dutch government's external advisor said in a report.

Dr. André Nollkaemper, Professor of Pub­ lic International Law at the Faculty of Law at the University of Amsterdam, underlined that it would be difficult to set up an inter­ national court absent of United Nations support or without consent from Iraq or Syria in semi-autonomous regions such as northeast Syria.

Nevertheless, he noted that the US-backed SDF has de-facto control over Syria's north­ east, and has a legal system “under Kurdish rule.” A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). (Photo: Archive) Although it is not legally possible for the SDF to reach an agreement with a state to lacks the capabilities to hold foreign Islamic According to Professor Nollkaemper, the create an international tribunal, Noll- State fighters indefinitely. creation of a new body in the region, close kaemper said the SDF could be involved in to the group's victims, would help solve the an agreement between two or more coun­ According to an International Crisis Group problem of Islamic State detainees and as­ tries to set up such a court. report, the SDF set up an anti-terrorism sist in the collection of evidence. court run by five judges in 2015 for Syrians “To the extent that the SDF has members of accused of being implicated in Islamic State Many nations in the European Union fear ISIS in custody and has evidence and/or crimes. that due to the lack of evidence, Islamic can facilitate access to witnesses, this could State supporters could be quickly released make an important contribution to the effec­ One of the judges said the court had han­ once they appear in court after they return tive trial of members of ISIS,” he stated in dled 800 local cases in 2017 and 1,200 in home. the report, adding it could happen without 2018; it has 7,000 pending. permission from Damascus. As such, the notion of an international crim­ Related Article: SDF official says inter­ inal court to try them either in Iraq or Syria The SDF, which holds thousands of foreign national court solution to foreign ISIS prob­ appears to be an attractive solution for Islamic State fighters and their families, re­ lem them. The Dutch government has also sup­ fuses to put them on trial in Syria because it ported the idea of creating such a court.

JM „ 5 R U DAW Christians evacuating their villages due to Turkish bombardments

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Around 10 “PKK better to go back to Turkey, and fight PKK fighters are present in the areas around Christian villages in the northern Kurdistan against the Turkish army inside Turkey, and the city of Amedi where Kani Masi is. The Region have been evacuated due to leave Kurdistan region for peace,” said Shli- area is in Duhok Province and close to the frequent and increasing Turkish bombings mon Aseel from the village of Duri, where Turkish border. Most Christians there iden­ targeting apparent Kurdistan Workers' 15 of the 40 homes have been evacuated. tify as ethnic Assyrians. Party (PKK) positions. Sarbast Sabri, the head of Kani Masi District, The PKK is a Kurdish militant group that has says the Turkish airstrikes hit the district on Rudaw visited Christian villages in the Kani fought the Turkish state for decades for greater a daily basis, and negatively impact the Masi District, where some homes are locked autonomy for Turkey's Kurds. Ankara considers lives of civilians. up and abandoned. There are 25 such villages the PKK a terrorist group and in the district, including 10 or so evacuated regularly strikes apparent targets of the group in “Civilians in the area are living in continu­ ones, according to district officials. One local the Kurdistan Region. The PKK is based in the ous panic, due to the Turkish bombard­ told Rudaw the PKK should leave the area. Qandil mountains along the Turkey-Iraq border. ments and PKK movements in the areas of

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Kani Masi,” he told Rudaw.Civilians are over civilian deaths resulting from Turkey's deaths of at least four Kurdish civilians near frequently caught in the crossfire between airstrikes. the village of Kurtak at the foot of the Qandil Turkey and the PKK, and people empty the Baghdad has likewise called on Turkey to Mountains, where the PKK is headquartered. villages to escape the fighting. end its attacks,while simultaneously de­ There was a short-lived peace process be­ manding the PKK leave their territories. tween Turkey and the PKK which ended in The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) failure in July 2015. Since then, at least 4,397 has repeatedly asked PKK fighters to stay Turkey launched Operation claw in late people, including Turkish security forces, away from populated areas and villages. May to drive the PKK away from its border PKK fighters, and civilians have been killed, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour with the Kurdistan Region. according to the International Crisis Group Barzani has also voiced concerns to Turkey On June 27, Turkish airstrikes resulted in the (ICG).

(l!)1 WrtSl)ilU)tOU Post By Karen DeYoung , Souad Mekhennet and Louisa Loveluck U.S. launches last-ditch effort to stop Turkish invasion of northeast Syria

the Kurdish Red Crescent in a town in Ha- sakah province, near the Turkish border. (Alice Martins for The Washington Post)

Turkey has already rejected those parame­ ters, insisting on a “safe zone” at least 20 miles deep and expressing a preference to control it alone. The Turkish government is also looking to establish areas that would allow the safe return of some of the more than 3.6 million Syrian refugees living in Turkey.

It is not the first time Turkey has threatened an invasion. But this time, the threat is real and imminent, according to U.S., Turkish, Kurdish and European officials, some of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the volatile situation.

“Now we are going to enter [Syria] east of the Euphrates,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday at a ceremony opening a highway and hospital in the city Syrian Kurdish officials say they have built concrete tunnels along the border, such as this one in the of Bursa. “We have shared this with Russia countryside of Hasakah, to prepare for a possible attack by the Turkish army. (Alice Martins for The and the United States,” he added. “We can Washington Post) only be patient for so long.”

he Trump administration has If Turkey refuses the U.S. entreaty, the ad­ launched a last-ditch effort to head off Failure of the U.S. effort could throw the ministration has made clear that it cannot, a Turkish invasion of northeast Syria war-devastated region into even deeper tur­ under existing congressional authorities, in­ Tthat it expects will come within the next twomoil, endangering efforts to rout Islamic tervene to protect the Kurdish fighters. The weeks. State remnants and President Trump's goal Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG of withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria. in the Kurdish abbreviation, dominate the With tens of thousands of Turkish troops more than 60,000-strong army, called the massed near the border, a high-level De­ The proposal includes a joint U.S.-Turkish Syrian Democratic Forces, that the United fense Department delegation plans to pres­ military operation to secure a strip south of States equipped, trained and directed to de­ ent what U.S. officials describe as a final the Syria-Turkey border that would be feat the Islamic State's self­ offer to address Turkey's concerns at a meet­ about nine miles deep and 87 miles long declared caliphate. ing Monday in Ankara. and from which the Kurdish fighters would be withdrawn. Adding to the extreme tension over the The meeting marks the climax of a years- issue, the administration is engaged in a long dispute between the two NATO allies The U.S. and Turkish militaries would de­ separate conflict with Turkey over its pur­ over U.S. support for Syrian Kurdish stroy Kurdish fortifications and then jointly chase of a sophisticated Russian missile de­ fighters who have led the ground war patrol the area, located in the middle third fense system, which already has caused the against the Islamic State, but whom Turkey of the northeastern border stretching be­ United States to cancel Turkey's participa­ considers a terrorist threat to its own secu­ tween the Euphrates River and Iraq. The tion in the manufacture and purchase of the rity. Kurdish-led victories against the mili­ other two-thirds would be cleared later. F-35, the next-generation American stealth tant group have effectively left them in aircraft. control of much of the border area. An underground medical facility set up by

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U.S. law also requires Trump to impose eco­ took the border city of Kobane and sur­ In January, amid a backlash, Trump nomic sanctions on Turkey over the Russian rounding towns and villages from the Is­ tweeted that the United States would “dev­ purchase. Trump, to the bipartisan ire of lamic State in 2015. astate Turkey economically if they hit Congress, has so far avoided implementing Kurds.” But he added: “Likewise, do not the mandate, at least in part to keep from Turkey considers the YPG and its Syrian po­ want the Kurds to provoke Turkey.” destroying any chance of a deal over the litical affiliate to be subgroups of Turkey's Kurds. Kurdistan Workers' Party. For decades, the The withdrawal announcement was among PKK, as it is known, has fought the Turkish the factors that led to the resignation of At the same time, the Kurds have warned military, initially to achieve an independent Trump's defense secretary, retired general that a fight with Turkey may leave them un­ Kurdish state and more recently to gain a Jim Mattis, for whom a permanent replace­ able to guard makeshift prisons in eastern level of Kurdish autonomy inside Turkey. ment was not installed until Mark T. Esper's Syria holding Islamic State inmates. The confirmation last month. militants — 8,000 Syrians and Iraqis Both the United States and Turkey have des­ and about 2,000 from other countries — ignated the PKK a terrorist organization, For the military, the ground campaign were captured during operations that led to and Turkish-PKK clashes markedly in­ against the Islamic State in Syria — sup­ the dismantling of the caliphate earlier this creased in recent months. Turkey also con­ ported by U.S. and coalition airstrikes — year. siders the YPG a terrorist group, but the has been among the most successful and lo­ United States does not. west-cost U.S. operations in decades, al­ “Either we will fight” the Turks “or guard” though human rights groups have said the the prisoners, said Aldar Xelil, a leading U.S. officials initially told Turkey that their U.S.-led air war resulted in thousands of Kurdish politician in northeast Syria. “We alliance with the YPG was temporary and civilian casualties. cannot do both together.” that the weapons they supplied to the Kurd­ ish fighters to take back Kobane would be With no more than about 2,500 deployed at He said that Kurdish forces, who were re­ reclaimed. But those promises were quickly their highest level, most U.S. troops were far cently visited by Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie overtaken by the need to field an effective from the front lines and took only a handful Jr., the head of the U.S. Central Command, ground force against the militants in eastern of casualties over the years. But their pres­ had agreed with the United States to with­ Syria. ence was seen as a largely symbolic but ef­ draw from a zone limited to three miles fective bulwark against Syrian government, from the border. American diplomats avoided publicizing Russian and Iranian incursions into eastern their contacts with the Kurds, but the U.S. Syria. “Honestly, we are not using ISIS prisoners military was eager to praise their battlefield as a card” to be played, said Xelil, who was prowess. More and more weapons were If it accomplished nothing else, the shock of interviewed in the Syrian border city of Qa- supplied — although not the artillery and Trump's announcement — which was even­ mishli. “But maybe we are going to lose other heavy weaponry the Turks have tually tempered with an agreement to slow- control here.... These are not like formal claimed — and U.S. commanders proudly walk the U.S. withdrawal — has helped put prisons; some of them are just schools where posed with the fighters for photographs the State and Defense departments in closer we built a wall and converted it into a published on YPG social media. agreement on how to resolve the Turkey prison.” problem. Each picture further infuriated the Turks, as “If the ISIS members see that there is fight­ did the 2016 U.S.-backed takeover from the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has pushed ing and that Turkey has attacked . . . they Islamic State of the city of Manbij, near the back against what largely had become a mil­ will break the walls and flee,” he said, using border and about 25 miles west of the Eu­ itary-directed relationship, and the two bu­ an acronym for the Islamic State. phrates. The river had long been an infor­ reaucracies have found common cause in mal dividing line between the U.S. fight dealing with the often-irascible Turks. In northeast Syria, the Kurdish administra­ against the Islamic State and the rest of Trump, with his eye on reelection, is seen in­ tion is preparing for war with Turkey. Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad and ternally as having no real objective except his Russian and Iranian allies were battling bringing home the troops but has also Roads in border towns and cities are scarred Syrian opposition forces. played a sometimes-useful role in placating with freshly dug tunnels, and dozens of Erdogan. homes have been turned into shelters. Although a U.S.-Turkish deal to remove the Makeshift hospitals have been built under­ YPG from Manbij was eventually struck, its The U.S. military presence is now down to ground. implementation has been slow and spotty. about 1,000 troops, a number of whom would be needed to conduct patrols with The Kurds say they have no illusions about Beginning in 2016, Turkish forces moved Turkish forces in the U.S.-proposed safe victory against the Turkish military. “If they into western parts of northern Syria, in large zone. enter, our territory will be destroyed,” Xelil part to prevent the U.S.-backed Kurds from said. uniting with other Syrian Kurdish groups The Syrian Kurds are hedging their bets. and forming a solid line along the entire They are in communication with the Assad The bigger problem border. As it cracked down on the PKK regime — where there is little room for rap­ The conflict over the Kurds is a story of U.S. north of the border, Turkey charged that the prochement — and the Russians. efforts to delay dealing with one problem — Syrian Kurds were lobbing mortar shells Turkey — to address what was considered and artillery into Turkish territory. The Syr­ Russia is “suggesting a deal where we push a far bigger one — the Islamic State. ian Kurds said it was the Turks who were the Americans out, and then they will stop attacking them across the border. the Turks,” said Xelil, the Kurdish politician. It also reflects the different imperatives of “We told them: ‘How are we going to kick the U.S. military, which has considered the The phone call the Americans out? Did we bring the Amer­ Kurds by far the most effective fighting icans here?' ” force available to it in Syria, and the Amer­ When Trump announced in December — ican diplomats responsible for explaining after a phone call with Erdogan — that he Mekhennet and Loveluck reported from U.S. policy decisions to Ankara. was ordering the withdrawal of U.S. troops Qamishli, Syria. Kareem Fahim in Istanbul from Syria, the U.S. Syrian Kurdish allies contributed to this report. The U.S.-YPG alliance was formed when the said they feared Turkey would increase its Kurdish forces, aided by U.S. airstrikes, re­ attacks against them.

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IACROIX 04/08/2019 Syrie, nouvelle trêve fragile dans la province d'Idlib Le régime de Bachar Al Assad a proclamé, jeudi 1er août, une trêve dans le dernier bastion insurgé du nord-ouest syrien, meurtri depuis trois mois par les bombardements de Damas et de son allié russe.Mais la principale force djihadiste régionale a déjà refusé, samedi 3 août, de se retirer de la future « zone démilitarisée » qui conditionne ce cessez-le-feu.

nnouveau sursis, éloignant le risque imminent d'un « bain de sang » tant redouté par la communauté inter­ Unationale. Jeudi 1er août, le régime de Bachar Al Assad a proclamé une trêve dans la pro­ vince d'Idlib, le dernier bastion insurgé du nord-ouest syrien, pilonné sans répit, de­ puis la fin du mois d'avril, par les forces de Damas épaulées par leur parrain russe.

Au cours d'une session de négociations or­ ganisée début août à Nur-Sultan (le nou­ veau nom de la capitale kazakhe) avec les autres signataires du processus d'Astana - Ankara, soutien des rebelles, et Moscou et Téhéran, alliés du régime -, la Syrie a en effet donné son accord pour un cessez-le-feu dans la région, « à condition que l'accord de désescalade [conclu en septembre 2018 avec la Russie et la Turquie] soit appliqué », a rapporté l'agence officielle Sanaa, citant une source militaire. Patience « limitée » toire, et aussi parce qu'il souhaite l'utiliser Trêve fragile comme monnaie d'échange contre les territoires Une crainte qui s'est confirmée moins de kurdes qu'il veut à terme éliminer », rappelait À la rentrée dernière, ce précédent pacte du 24 heures plus tard, alors que le leader de son côté début août à La Croix le géo­ triptyque d'Astana devait entériner la créa­ d'HTS, Abou Mohamad al-Joulani, a réaf­ graphe Fabrice Balanche, spécialiste de la tion d'une « zone démilitarisée » à l'ourlet firmé, samedi 3 août, son refus d'obtempé­ Syrie et maître de conférences à l'université de la province d'Idlib, censée séparer les rer. « Ce que le régime n'a pas pris militairement Lyon II. zones gouvernementales des territoires re­ et par la force, il ne l'obtiendra pas de manière belles. Ultime refuge de dizaines de milliers pacifique par la négociation et la politique. Nous Pour l'analyste Samuel Ramani, Bachar de déplacés originaires d'autres fiefs re­ ne nous retirerons jamais de la zone », a-t-il Al Assad « ne tolérera pas qu'Idlib soit en de­ belles repris ces dernières années par martelé, « nous ne changerons pas de position, hors de sa sphère d'influence ». « Je ne vois pas Damas, la province est aujourd'hui retom­ ni à la demande des amis ni à celle des ennemis ». le cessez-le-feu durer » longtemps, a affirmé à bée à 90 % aux mains du groupe Hayat Tah­ l'Agence France-Presse (AFP) ce spécialiste rir Al-Cham (HTS), considéré comme « L'accord de cessez-le-feu est conditionné au du conflit syrien, chercheur à l'université l'ex-branche syrienne d'Al-Qaida. respect par la Turquie des accords d'Astana et de d'Oxford. « Il s'agit d'une ruse probablement à Sotchi sur le désarmement des terroristes », a de l'instigation de la Russie pour renforcer la cré­ Dans la pratique, et même si les rebelles et son côté souligné l'émissaire syrien aux né­ dibilité des pourparlers » au Kazakhstan, dé­ djihadistes avaient à l'époque accepté de re­ gociations de paix d'Astana, Bachar Jaafari, cryptait-il encore. tirer des armes lourdes de cet espace tam­ accusant ceux-ci de bombarder les troupes pon, l'accord de Sotchi n'a jamais vraiment syriennes « depuis des territoires que la Turquie En trois mois, la recrudescence des bombar­ été respecté, les terroristes ayant refusé d'en contrôle. Même si nous sommes patients, notre dements menés par Damas et Moscou sur la partir. Le dernier round des discussions ka- patience est limitée: nous n'attendrons pas in­ région d'Idlib a coûté la vie à près de 790 ci­ zakhes a-t-il des chances de déboucher sur définiment que la Turquie respecte ses engage­ vils, d'après le dernier décompte de l'Obser­ un plus grand succès ? Le négociateur russe ments... ». vatoire Syrien des Droits de l'Homme à Astana, Alexandre Lavrentiev, a de nou­ (OSDH), proche des rebelles. Les Nations veau appelé, vendredi 2 août, les rebelles Une « ruse russe » ? unies ont, quant à elles, condamné avec vi­ « modérés » à prendre leurs distances et à rulence le déplacement de 400 000 per­ « n'avoir aucun contact » avec les groupes dji- « Ankara tient particulièrement à Idlib parce sonnes, principalement vers le nord de la hadistes, ajoutant s'attendre à ce que ces qu'il veut éviter de voir affluer deux ou trois mil­ province, épargné par les pilonnages. derniers « continuent les combats ». lions de réfugiés supplémentaires sur son terri­

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LE FIGARO 04/08/2019 La Turquie va lancer une opération militaire dans le nord de la Syrie

a Turquie va lancer une opération mi­ Kurdes pour combattre le groupe djihadiste majoritairement kurdes de Turquie. litaire contre les forces kurdes dans le Etat islamique (EI), de l'imminence de cette Recep Tayyip Erdogan réclame de longue nord de la Syrie, à l'est de l'Euphrate, offensive. date l'établissement dans le nord de la Syrie La annoncé dimanche le président RecepAnkara considère les Unités de protection d'une «zone de sécurité» qui écarterait les Tayyip Erdogan. Le chef de l'Etat turc, qui du peuple (YPG), la milice kurde qui consti­ combattants kurdes de la frontière turque, brandissait cette menace depuis des mois, a tue le noyau des Forces démocratiques sy­ le principal point de crispation se situant à précisé qu'il avait averti la Russie, qui sou­ riennes (FDS), comme une extension du Manbij, ville située sur les rives de l'Eu­ tient le président syrien Bachar al Assad, et Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK), phrate que les FDS ont reprise à l'EI en 2016. les Etats-Unis, qui se sont appuyés sur les qui lutte pour l'autonomie des territoires

AMN 2019-08-05 Turkey informs US, Russia about upcoming military operation in eastern Euphrates region

BEIRUT, LEBANON (9:25 A.M.) - Turkey is “We shared this [information] with the U.S. planning to launch a large-scale military op­ and Russia,” he added. eration against the People's Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria, Turkish President Erdogan and his administration have often Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed on Sun­ referenced the PKK in Syria, despite the fact day. that the organization controls no territory inside the country. Erdogan stated that he has informed his Russian and U.S. counterparts about the The PKK has been outlawed by Ankara for military operation, which he said would several years now, as the organization was specifically target areas controlled by the involved in a long conflict with the Turkish Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan ad­ YPG and the Kurdistan Workers Party Armed Forces in the latter part of the 20th dresses the 42nd Mukhtars Meeting at the Pres­ idential Complex in Ankara on December 20, (PKK). Century. 2017. (Photo by AFP) “We entered Afrin, Jarabulus, and Al-Bab [in During the PKK-Turkish Army conflict, northern Syria], and now we're going to Syria, under the leadership of President This military assistance caused friction be­ enter east of the Euphrates,” Recep Tayyip Hafez Al-Assad, provided military assis­ tween Damascus and Ankara for years, Erdogan told an inauguration ceremony in tance to the Kurdish group, including a base until they both reached an agreement at the Bursa. to launch attacks on the border. city of Adana in the late 1990s.

ELEVEN KURDS HANGED IN IRAN, INCLUDING TWO WOMEN

SULAIMANI - Eleven ethnic Kurds were The executed individ­ executed in Iran during July, including two uals were all convicted women. of deliberate murder, Hengaw added. “Ten out of the eleven executed people were residents of Urmia city [in West Azerbaijan After China, Iran ex­ province] and the other was from Luristan ecuted the largest province,” reported Hengaw Organization, number of people last which monitors human rights abuses in the year, according to Iranian Kurdistan. human rights groups.

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LETIGARO

Syrie: Erdogan menace de lancer «très bientôt» une opération contre une milice kurde

e président turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a cer une nouvelle offensive contre la milice nace depuis plusieurs mois de lancer une opé­ affirmé ce mardi que les opérations lancées kurde des Unités de protection du peuple ration contre les positions des YPG à l'est de par Ankara contre la milice kurde syrienne (YPG), soutenue par les Etats-Unis contre les l'Euphrate. LYPG, soutenue par Washington, entreraient dansdjihadistes du groupe Etat islamique (EI). «As­ En janvier, alors qu'une telle offensive parais­ une «nouvelle phase très bientôt». sécher le marécage du terrorisme qui se trouve sait imminente, Washington avait proposé à dans le nord de la Syrie est notre principale Ankara de créer une «zone de sécurité» sépa­ Rappelant que son pays avait déjà lancé deux priorité», a insisté Recep Tayyip Erdogan. rant la frontière turque des positions des YPG offensives dans le nord de la Syrie depuis 2016, «Tant que les [zones contrôlées par les YPG] en Syrie. Mais alors que les négociations Recep Tayyip Erdogan a déclaré: «Si Dieu le n'auront pas disparu, la Turquie ne se sentira achoppent sur des paramètres clés d'une telle veut, le processus que nous avons commencé pas en sécurité», a-t-il ajouté. Peu avant le dis­ zone, notamment sur sa largeur, Ankara mul­ [..] va entrer dans une nouvelle phase très cours du président turc, le chef du Pentagone tiplie les signes d'impatience. Des responsables bientôt». «Si nous ne faisons pas aujourd'hui Mark Esper avait prévenu qu'une offensive américains et turcs négociaient mardi à ce sujet ce qui est nécessaire, nous serons contraints de turque contre les combattants kurdes dans le à Ankara, au lendemain de discussions qui, le faire demain en payant un plus lourd tri­ nord de la Syrie serait «inacceptable». selon la presse turque, ont été infructueuses du but», a-t-il ajouté lors d'une conférence retrans­ Ankara considère les YPG comme la branche point de vue turc. Mardi, le président turc a mise à la télévision. en Syrie du Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan déclaré qu'il attendait des Etats-Unis des «me­ Ces déclarations interviennent alors que la (PKK), un groupe qui livre une sanglante gué­ sures seyant à un vrai allié». Turquie menace depuis plusieurs jours de lan­ rilla sur le sol turc depuis 1984. La Turquie me­

Le Point Syrie: Ankara menace d'une offensive contre les Kurdes, Washington gronde

e président turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a intérêts que nous partageons", a ajouté M. Esper, nise les velléités séparatistes sur son sol. menacé mardi de lancer "très bientôt" qui s'exprimait peu avant le président turc. "Assécher le marécage du terrorisme dans le une nouvelle opération contre une mi­ nord de la Syrie est notre principale priorité", Llice kurde syrienne soutenue par les Etats-Au sujet des négociations en cours sur la créa­ a insisté M. Erdogan mardi. "Si nous ne faisons Unis, qui de leur côté ont prévenu qu'une telle tion d'une "zone de sécurité", M. Esper a indi­ pas aujourd'hui ce qui est nécessaire, nous se­ initiative serait "inacceptable". qué que Washington tentait de "trouver (avec rons contraints de le faire demain en payant un Rappelant qu'Ankara avait déjà lancé deux of­ les Turcs) un arrangement qui réponde à leurs plus lourd tribut". fensives depuis 2016 contre les positions des inquiétudes", évoquant des "progrès" sur "cer­ Unités de protection du peuple (YPG), M. Er­ tains des points les plus importants". Le soutien de Washington aux combattants dogan a déclaré: "Si Dieu le veut, le processus kurdes empoisonne depuis plus de trois ans les que nous avons commencé (...) va entrer dans Cependant, la presse turque a fait état mardi relations entre la Turquie et les Etats-Unis, al­ une nouvelle phase très bientôt". de divergences profondes sur deux points liés au sein de l'OTAN. principaux: Ankara veut une bande de 30 km Ces déclarations interviennent alors que des de profondeur, plus que la formule proposée En 2016, l'armée turque a lancé une offensive négociations entre Ankara et Washington en par Washington, et réclame le contrôle total de terrestre dans le nord-ouest de la Syrie contre vue de créer une "zone de sécurité" séparant la cette zone. l'EI et les YPG. L'an dernier, elle a lancé une frontière turque de certaines positions des YPG deuxième offensive contre les combattants achoppent sur plusieurs points, notamment la Le président turc a déclaré qu'il attendait des Etats- kurdes, s'emparant de l'enclave d'Afrine. profondeur de cette zone. Unis des "mesures seyant à un véritable allié". Cette fois, ce sont les territoires contrôlés par Des responsables militaires américains se trou­ les YPG à l'est de l'Euphrate qui sont dans le vaient mardi à Ankara pour tenter d'arracher "A la première occasion" collimateur d'Ankara. un accord, au lendemain de discussions infruc­ Les YPG sont l'épine dorsale des Forces démo­ tueuses. cratiques syriennes (FDS), une coalition kurdo- Ces dernières semaines, les médias turcs ont Ces derniers jours, la Turquie a plusieurs fois arabe que les Etats-Unis et d'autres pays fait état de l'envoi de véhicules militaires et affirmé que si les propositions américaines occidentaux, comme la France, ont appuyé et d'unités de commandos vers des localités n'étaient pas "satisfaisantes", elle lancerait une armé contre les jihadistes du groupe Etat isla­ turques à proximité de la frontière syrienne. opération en Syriepour mettre en place cette mique (EI). Un haut responsable kurde, Aldar Khalil, a es­ "zone de sécurité" de façon unilatérale. timé que la Turquie passerait à l'offensive dans Mais Ankara considère les YPG comme une le nord de la Syrie "à la première occasion". "Er­ Mais le nouveau chef du Pentagone, Mark "organisation terroriste" en raison de ses liens dogan est sérieux", a-t-il dit dans un entretien Esper, a averti mardi que toute "incursion uni­ étroits avec le Parti des travailleurs du Kurdis­ à l'AFP lundi. latérale" de la Turquie contre les combattants tan (PKK), un groupe qui livre une sanglante kurdes serait "inacceptable". guérilla sur le sol turc depuis 1984. Selon lui, les groupes kurdes, qui refusent toute présence turque dans cette région, "Ce que nous allons faire, c'est empêcher des in­ La Turquie redoute que l'implantation d'une avaient accepté une zone tampon de 5 km de cursions unilatérales qui seraient contraires aux zone autonome kurde à sa frontière ne galva­ large mais Ankara a refusé cette proposition.

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Le Journal 4 août 2019 du Dimanche Djihadistes français en Syrie : le gouverne­ ment reste dans l'embarras La question des Français djihadistes retenus dans les camps et les prisons du nord de la Syrie, surveillés par les kurdes, demeure un épineux problème pour le gouvernement, qui tente de mettre en place une sorte de tribunal international.

Que faut-il faire des Français djihadistes chute de Baghouz, l'insécurité reste élevée. trer des responsables locaux, des magistrats, des retenus dans les camps et les prisons du Les attaques se sont multipliées depuis le diplomates et des chefs militaires. Le président nord de la Syrie sous la surveillance des printemps, les opérations de démantèle­ du Centre d'analyse du terrorisme a aussi pu se forces kurdes? La question reste embarras­ ment de cellules terroristes se poursuivent. rendre à Raqqa, capitale reconquise de l'État is­ sante pour le gouvernement français, défa­ Et les Kurdes, désormais favorables à l'ins­ lamique (EI) vaincu. Il alerte sur une situation vorable au retour dans l'Hexagone de ces tauration d'une Cour internationale sur le qui reste tendue et préconise le retour en France, islamistes radicaux. Comme l'a confié le territoire syrien, comme les Français, ont la pour y être jugés, des Français soldats de l'EI ac­ ministre des Affaires étrangères, Jean-Yves conviction que la situation actuelle ne peut tuellement détenus dans des camps dans le nord Le Drian, au JDD, des discussions sont en être que transitoire. de la Syrie. S'il n'a pas pu accéder directement cours pour la mise en œuvre d'une sorte à eux, il a recueilli de précieux renseignements. de tribunal international. "Il faut trouver la forme d'un dispositif de justice spécifique, Vous revenez de Syrie, de la zone contrôlée par a-t-il confié. Nous y travaillons en ce mo­ Jean-Charles Brisard, les forces kurdes. Quelle est la situation sur ment même avec plusieurs partenaires eu­ place, un peu plus de quatre mois après la ropéens. Cela nous paraît être la seule président du Centre chute de Baghouz, dernier bastion de l'État is­ lamique ? option possible." d'analyse du terro­ La question est d'autant plus délicate que Le retour au calme est loin d'être acquis. Depuis cette région n'est pas sous l'autorité d'un risme « Il y a eu 400 at­ la chute de Baghouz à la fin du mois de mars, Etat reconnu. L'Irak voisin dispose, lui, de environ 400 attaques terroristes ont été enregis­ tribunaux qui ont déjà condamné plu­ taques de Daech en trées dans le nord-est de la Syrie. À Raqqa [an­ sieurs Français, parfois à la peine de mort. cienne capitale de l'EI], j'ai encore entendu des quatre mois » enfants crier les slogans de Daech. Ce qui est Environ 200 adultes détenus dans le nord frappant, c'est le contraste entre le Kurdistan ira­ de la Syrie PROPOS RECUEILLIS PAR PASCAL CEAUX kien et le Kurdistan syrien. Nous sommes arrivés Selon plusieurs sources du renseignement, à Erbil, dans la région autonome des Kurdes les adultes détenus dans le nord de la Syrie et identifiés comme membres de Daech se­ raient environ 200. Ce chiffre est stabilisé depuis plusieurs semaines. Mais la situa­ tion n'est pas la même selon qu'ils sont in­ carcérés dans une prison ou enfermés dans un camp. En dépit de tensions sporadiques, les établissements péniten­ tiaires conservent un bon niveau de sécu­ rité, à la différence des camps. Ceux-ci souffrent d'une surpopulation explosive.

Ainsi à Al-Hol, à proximité de la frontière irakienne, quelque 70 000 hommes, femmes et enfants sont retenus pour 20 000 places disponibles. La surveillance y est aussi plus relâchée. Une femme est parve­ nue à s'enfuir au mois de juillet du camp de Roj, avant d'être reprise au bout de quelques heures. L'expert Jean-Charles Bri- sard, de retour de Syrie, évoque un chiffre noir des évasions facilitées par l'autorisa­ tion donnée aux femmes de quitter mo­ mentanément le camp : une source d'inquiétude à Paris, où l'on pointe l'ex­ trême radicalité de certaines d'entre elles. Jean-Charles Brisard entouré par des membres des forces spéciales kurdes à l'entrée de Raqqa. DR

L'insécurité, toujours très élevée Sur place, dans cette zone du nord-est de À l'occasion d'une conférence internationale or­ d'Irak, une zone prospère. Dès que l'on passe la la Syrie, le calme est loin d'être revenu. En ganisée en juillet dans le nord-est de la Syrie sur frontière syrienne, les routes sont défoncées, les dépit de la défaite militaire de l'Etat le sort des djihadistes étrangers détenus par les infrastructures très endommagées. En chemin, islamique, concrétisée le 23 mars par la forces kurdes, Jean-Charles Brisard a pu rencon­ nous avons ainsi croisé une cinquantaine de puits

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Non. Les forces kurdes refusent qu'on puisse ac­ Évasions ? céder à eux. Elles ne veulent même pas donner Ces camps sont des bombes à retardement. Au­ le chiffre exact des Français prisonniers. En jourd'hui, il y a autant de djihadistes français qui outre, au moins 300 djihadistes ressortissants ou sont retenus par les Kurdes de Syrie que de re­ résidents français sont encore présents sur le sol venants sur le sol national, soit environ 400. Il syrien. Certains ont réussi à gagner l'Afghanis­ faut s'emparer du problème et désengorger d'ur­ tan ou la Libye. D'autres ont trouvé refuge dans gence les camps où les étrangers se montrent très la région d'Idlib, où sont rassemblés des oppo­ virulents. Les Kurdes m'ont indiqué qu'en raison sants au régime de Bachar El-Assad, le président des multiples incidents impliquant des femmes syrien, ou encore en Turquie. étrangères, ils envisageaient de créer des prisons pour femmes, mais ils n'en ont pas les moyens. Certaines figures du djihadisme français sont Al-Hol, par exemple, a une capacité d'accueil de détenues dans le nord de la Syrie. Avez-vous 20 000 places. On y compte plus de 70 000 dé­ obtenu des informations les concernant ? tenus. Des tentatives de mutinerie ont été entre­ prises en avril dernier. Il y a quelques semaines, Oui. J'ai recueilli des éléments sur Adrien Gui­ une Française est parvenue à s'évader. Elle a vite hal, par exemple. Autrefois garagiste dans le Val- été interceptée, mais le règlement permet aux d'Oise, il était devenu l'un des plus éminents femmes de sortir du camp à condition d'être ac­ propagandistes de Daech en direction du terri­ compagnées. Je suis certain qu'il existe un chif­ toire français. Pour la première fois, un lien a pu fre noir des évasions de femmes. Cette situation être établi entre cet homme et l'attentat de Nice intenable porte en germe une catastrophe huma­ du 14 juillet 2016, alors que rien ne semblait nitaire et à terme, sécuritaire. Ces camps devien­ jusqu'alors permettre de rapprocher directement nent des zones d'attente pour des djihadistes qui DOCUMENT: Dans les sous-sols du stade de la Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, l'auteur de cette n'ont en rien renoncé à leur idéologie et qui en­ ville, des cellules désaffectées qu'utilisait l'État is­ tuerie qui a coûté la vie à 86 personnes, et l'EI. tendent perpétuer le projet de l'EI. lamique. Il est détenu dans une prison au Kurdistan syrien. Les autorités kurdes m'ont assuré qu'il serait Pourquoi êtes-vous plutôt favorable à des pro­ de pétrole laissés à l'abandon. livré à la France si la justice française le récla­ cès en France ? « Le risque, c'est d'être incapables de savoir ce mait, et qu'il pourrait être auditionné sur place que les combattants français deviennent » si les magistrats le demandaient. Quelques or­ Un risque pèse sur nous, celui de la fragmenta­ phelins, dont le sort est toujours en suspens, vont tion de la menace. Si nous abandonnons les dji- Vous avez pu vous rendre à Raqqa. À quoi res­ eux aussi être rapatriés. hadistes français à leur sort en Syrie, nous serons semble la ville où résidaient les principaux res­ très vite incapables de savoir ce qu'ils devien­ ponsables de l'EI, dont le calife Baghdadi ? nent. Ne pourraient-ils pas se disperser et créer La France semble réticente à juger elle-même ainsi les fondements d'un nouveau danger visant La ville a été détruite à 80 %. Et la reconstruction ses ressortissants. Ne préfère-t-elle pas laisser la France ? Je rappelle que dans cette zone, l'ad­ n'a pas véritablement commencé. On n'a fait re­ ce soin aux tribunaux locaux ? ministration reste embryonnaire. Le manque de venir qu'environ 50 000 personnes, moins de 20 moyens est criant. En France, il serait beaucoup % de la population. Nous avons vu beaucoup Nous avons pu nous entretenir avec les deux co­ plus facile de les suivre et de mieux garantir d'immeubles à moitié détruits qui menacent de présidents de la cour antiterroriste. Ils ont jugé notre sécurité. Les Kurdes de Syrie nous ont ap­ s'effondrer. Pourtant des gens y habitent dans environ 7 000 djihadistes syriens au cours des porté une aide capitale dans la lutte contre l'EI, des conditions précaires. Quelques commerces derniers mois ; 6 000 autres sont encore en at­ et hélas nous ne faisons rien pour les aider à neu­ subsistent, mais les problèmes d'approvisionne­ tente. traliser les vecteurs de cette menace. ment sont énormes. À ma connaissance, une seule ONG est présente à Raqqa. Et le climat sur Le problème ? Ils disposent de très peu de place est très tendu. Les forces démocratiques preuves pour régler le cas des étrangers. Et man­ QUI EST ADRIEN GUIHAL ? syriennes [FDS], composées majoritairement de quent cruellement de moyens matériels et hu­ Kurdes, stationnent à l'extérieur de la ville pour mains. Jusqu'à récemment, ils préconisaient de IL EST CELUI QUI PERMET de matérialiser ne pas provoquer la population arabe. Le risque renvoyer les terroristes dans leur pays d'origine. pour la première fois un lien entre l'État de résurgence est loin d'être écarté et l'EI n'a pas Désormais, ils prônent la création d'un tribunal islamique (EI) et l'auteur de l'attentat de disparu du Nord-Est syrien. Des opérations ré­ international dont le siège se tiendrait dans la Nice, le 14 juillet 2016, Mohamed La- gulières de démantèlement de cellules dormantes Syrie kurde. Ils proposent aussi d'examiner houaiej-Bouhlel. Né en 1985 à Paris, de l'EI ont lieu. Une cinquantaine d'entre elles chaque dossier avant d'y apporter une réponse. Adrien Guihal a été arrêté à Raqqa, le 19 ont été détruites. À mes yeux, il serait préférable que la France dé­ mai 2018, avec sa femme et leurs six en­ cide de rapatrier ses ressortissants pour les re­ fants. Il est aujourd'hui détenu par les Reste-t-il des traces visibles du pouvoir isla­ mettre à la justice française, même du point de forces kurdes, qui n'ont pas permis à ce miste ? vue de notre sécurité. Les magistrats kurdes ne jour aux Français de l'entendre. Proche J'ai visité les sous-sols du stade de Raqqa, même prononcent pas de peine supérieure à vingt ans des frères Clain, il est aussi soupçonné s'il est interdit d'y pénétrer. Plusieurs dizaines pour des faits qui, ici, seraient passibles de la ré­ d'avoir été la voix française de l'EI lors de cellules désaffectées y témoignent encore du clusion criminelle à perpétuité. Il serait en outre de deux autres attentats commis sur le ter­ pouvoir qu'exerçait le califat autoproclamé. inconcevable pour les victimes que des individus ritoire national en 2016, l'assassinat d'un Dans l'une d'entre elles, j'ai même trouvé des potentiellement impliqués dans des attentats en couple de policiers le 13 juin à Magnan- explosifs. J'ai aussi vu le siège des opérations France, échappent aux autorités françaises et ne ville (Yvelines) et l'assassinat d'un prêtre extérieures de l'EI. Dans ce bâtiment ont été répondent pas de leurs actes devant un tribunal le 26 juillet à Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray conçus et préparés les attentats qui ont frappé français. (Seine-Maritime). Il a déjà été condamné Paris le 13 novembre 2015. Aujourd'hui, il a été en France en janvier 2012 à quatre ans transformé en tribunal militaire. d'emprisonnement dont un avec sursis En attendant une éventuelle décision, les déte­ pour un projet d'attentat visant un service L'un des buts de votre voyage était d'examiner nus étrangers sont sous surveillance dans des de renseignement. le sort des djihadistes français retenus dans des camps. N'y a-t-il pas des risques ? Saturation ? prisons. Avez-vous pu en rencontrer ?

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By Suleiman Al-Khalidi August 5, 2019 Syrian rebels say ready to back Turkish-led operation in northeast

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian rebel command­ ish army deployment gathered pace along the Arabs from returning to their former homes ers said on Monday they are ready to join border in an operation expected to start from which they say have been confiscated and de­ Turkish troops in an offensive to seize back both Syrian and Turkish territory. molished, a charge the SDF denies. largely Arab-populated towns and villages in northeast Syria held by Kurdish-led-forces. The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces “The goal is to end the presence of the separat­ (SDF) affiliated with the Kurdish-led Autono­ ist terrorist group (YPG) and wreck their plan Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on mous Administration of North and East Syria to change the demographic composition of the Sunday his country, which already has a foot­ condemned Turkey's “growing threats”, and area and allow those displaced from all sects hold in northwest Syria, will carry out a mili­ it urged Western powers to act. to go back to their home towns and villages,” tary operation in a Kurdish-controlled area “We stand as one front with all our ethnic and the rebel official Hamoud said. east of the Euphrates in northern Syria. religious components and will resist with all With U.S. backing, the SDF have taken control possible means in defense of security and sta­ over the last four years of much of northeast­ Turkey had in the past warned of carrying out bility,” Abed Hamed al-Mihbash, the head of ern Syria from Islamic State militants. military operations east of the river but put the council said in a statement. them on hold after agreeing with the United But resentment against SDF rule in eastern States to create a safe zone inside Syria's “Turkey wants to destabilize the co-existence Syria has grown among the predominately northeastern border with Turkey that would between the various groups of the Syrian Arab population, residents and tribal elders be cleared of the Kurdish YPG militia. people,” he added. say, with many objecting to compulsory con­ The spokesman for the National Army, a Tur­ scription of young men and discrimination at key-backed rebel grouping, said a 14,000 The Turkish-led campaign, which has for the leadership level. strong force was ready to start a campaign months been delayed due to resistance from against the YPG militia that rules vast swathes Washington, is aimed at evicting YPG forces Kurdish YPG leaders deny any discrimination of northeast Syria. from a string of border towns in Raqqa and and say they are seeking to redress decades of Hasaka provinces. repression against their national rights by “There are over 14,000 fighters who are ready Syria's Arab Ba'ath party. to engage in combat operations east of the Eu­ Hundreds of thousands of refugees who fled phrates alongside Turkish forces,” Major Yous- during the conflict from these areas are now sef Hamoud told Reuters. in Turkey and in the opposition-held north­ west. The rebel official did not set a date for the op­ Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Additional eration, while another opposition source said Tribal leaders and rights groups accuse the reporting by Rodi Said in Qamishli, Syria; Ed­ preparations were already underway as Turk­ ruling Kurdish militia of preventing many iting by Hugh Lawson

25/08/2019 Airstrike kills six ISIS militants in Makhmour, south Erbil

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - Iraqi operations Iraq. It is currently under the control of the The attack reportedly killed a number of ter­ command in coordination with US-led co­ Iraqi forces. rorists and led to the seizure of improvised alition warplanes killed six remnants of the explosive devices (IEDs) and destruction of Islamic State in the disputed town of Islamic State sleeper cells in the area, ho­ underground tunnels, according to the Makhmour, the military said on Sunday. wever, have remained active over the past statement. few years. Iraqi forces and Kurdish Pesh- The airstrike targeted militants near Qere- merga forces occasionally launch military “It comes as part of preemptive operations chukh Mountain and the village of al-Samr, operations in attempts to eliminate the to track the remnants of terrorist gangs in Iraqi security forces said in a statement, threat the jihadist group poses, but this has these areas,” the military statement ex­ some 60 kilometers south of Erbil. been limited to the outskirts of the town. plained.

“The force carrying out the duty also found Iraq's military also announced on Sunday Iraq declared military victory over the Is­ the bodies of the dead terrorists as well as afternoon that counter-terrorism forces, lamic State in late 2017, but the group con­ four rifles,” the statement added. with the support of Iraqi and US-led coali­ tinues to launch insurgency attacks, tion aircrafts, carried out the “New Dawn” ambushes, and kidnappings in the country. Makhmour is one of the disputed territories operation against the Islamic State in the between the Kurdistan Regional Govern­ Hawija, Rashad, and Abasi areas, located ment (KRG) and the federal government of southwest of Kirkuk Province.

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IACROIX 06/08/2018 En Syrie, une trêve s'effondre et de nouvelles menaces surgissent

Analyse Après quatre jours de cessez-le-feu, Damas et son allié Moscou ont repris, lundi 5 août, leurs frappes contre la région d'Idlib, dernier bastion insurgé dans le nord-ouest de la Syrie.

Faisant fi de la colère de Washington, Ankara brandit de son côté la menace d'une opération militaire contre les milices kurdes « à l'est de l'Euphrate ». Malo Tresca

a trêve n'aura pas fait long feu. Quatre Des frappes en lien avec les négociations en 4 et mardi 6 août, la menace belliqueuse - ré­ jours après avoir annoncé une fragile cours currente, mais non mise à exécution ces der­ accalmie dans son offensive sur le Le glas du cessez-le-feu, initialement condi­ niers mois - d'une opération militaire dans la Lnord-ouest de la Syrie, le régime de Damas,tionné par Damas à la création d'une « zone région, qui reste aussi sous contrôle améri­ épaulé par son grand allié russe, a relancé, démilitarisée » - censée séparer les zones cain. « Nous ne pouvons plus rester silen­ lundi 5 août, ses raids aériens sur la province gouvernementales des territoires rebelles cieux, notre patience est à bout. (...) Nous d'Idlib, dernier grand bastion insurgé du dans la province insurgée -, intervient peu allons aller à l'est de l'Euphrate », a martelé pays, retombé ces derniers mois à 90 % aux après l'annonce, par les médias syriens, le raïs, redoutant les velléités indépendan­ mains des djihadistes d'Hayat Tahrir Al- d'une « chute d'obus » aux abords d'une base tistes de ce qu'il considère comme un « Cham (HTS), l'ex-branche syrienne d'Al- russe de la province limitrophe de Lattaquié. groupe terroriste ». Qaida. Selon certains experts, cette dernière attaque, aux circonstances toujours opaques, pourrait Mardi, des responsables turcs et américains Entériné début août au Kazakhstan lors d'un avoir servi de « prétexte » à la reprise des se sont entretenus à Ankara sur la création nouveau round de discussions entre les trois bombardements. d'une « zone de sécurité », visant à séparer la signataires du « processus d'Astana » - An­ frontière turque des positions des YPG dans kara, parrain des rebelles, Moscou et Téhé­ le nord de la Syrie. Mais les discussions ran, soutiens de Damas -, « ce cessez-le-feu achoppent toujours sur les modalités de cet de quelques jours était tactique. Il a notam­ espace tampon. « Washington est actuelle­ ment permis au régime de renforcer sa ligne ment en proie à un dilemme : sanctionner de défense pour protéger ses gains territo­ Ankara pourrait faire peur à Erdogan, comme riaux récemment repris aux rebelles », dé­ au contraire provoquer sa colère, conclut Fa­ crypte le spécialiste Fabrice Balanche, maître brice Balanche. Dans le contexte aussi de de conférences à l'université Lyon 2. l'achat par Ankara de S-400 russes au détri­ ment de systèmes de défense américains, la Depuis fin avril, plus de 790 civils ont été Turquie a plus de chances d'attaquer au­ tués jourd'hui. » Coincée entre les djihadistes et les troupes loyalistes, la population civile, qui compte des milliers de déplacés d'anciens fiefs re­ => Idlib, coutumière de trêves fragiles belles reconquis, continue de payer le prix fort. Premières victimes de la reprise des pi­ Septembre 2018. La mise en place d'une « lonnages, quatre Syriens ont été tués lundi 5 zone démilitarisée » à Idlib fait l'objet d'un août par des barils d'explosifs lâchés sur des accord - dit de « Sotchi » - entre Moscou immeubles de la ville de Morek, dans le nord (Russie) et Ankara (Turquie), pour éviter une de Hama. Depuis fin avril, plus de 790 d'entre « Ces nouvelles frappes pourraient ainsi offensive d'ampleur de Damas dans la ré­ eux seraient morts, selon l'Observatoire sy­ s'inscrire dans les négociations en cours, si gion. Mais celui-ci n'est jamais vraiment ap­ rien des droits de l'homme (OSDH). Et 400 les Russes cherchent à faire pression pour en pliqué. 000 autres auraient fui les violences, d'après obtenir davantage des Turcs et des rebelles, l'ONU. analyse Thomas Pierret, chargé de recherche Fin avril 2019. Le régime, épaulé par Moscou, au CNRS et à l'Iremam. La deuxième hypo­ relance des raids presque quotidiens sur « La fin de la trêve a été particulièrement thèse, plus machiavélique, serait d'imaginer Idlib. choquante pour les civils de la province qui qu'elles aient un lien avec le projet d'offen­ commençaient tout juste, après s'être réfu­ sive turque à l'est de l'Euphrate : Ankara au­ Jeudi 1er août. Lors d'une réunion au Ka­ giés plus au nord, à regagner leurs maisons rait pu demander à Moscou de lui laisser les zakhstan des signataires du processus d'As­ et leurs fermes dans le Sud », déplore le doc­ mains libres sur les Kurdes, en échange de tana, Damas accepte un cessez-le-feu, à la teur Mazen Kewara, directeur de l'antenne certaines concessions à Idlib. » condition d'une entrée en vigueur effective turque de la Société médicale syro-améri- de l'accord de Sotchi. Les djihadistes, qui caine (SAMS), qui prodigue des soins dans la « Colère » d'Ankara contrôlent Idlib, s'y opposent. région. « Nous avons malheureusement re­ Brûlant d'en découdre avec les miliciens des commencé à recevoir, dans nos hôpitaux, des Unités de protection du peuple (YPG) épau­ Lundi 5 août. Damas annonce la reprise de victimes d'attaques. » lés par Washington, le président turc Recep son offensive sur la région. Tayyip Erdogan a en effet brandi, dimanche

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August 06-2019 SDF issues new military order to prevent child recruitment

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - The General Command of plaint procedure to report the recruit­ the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) issued a mili­ ment and use of children.” CHILDREN tary order over the weekend to all commanders in Syria's northeast to end the recruitment of males and females under 18. According to the new order, the UN action plan's decisions are released to The SDF and the Self Administration of North East all military offices and academies. Syria (SANES) signed a Joint Action Plan with the United Nations on June 29 in Geneva, at Palais des Moreover, offices were activated Nations to prevent child recruitment. where families whose children the SDF had recruited can make com­ The new military order is based on an older mili­ plaints. tary order from September 2018 and is part of the latest SDF-UN action plan. The UN report notes that the YPG/YPJ Virginia Gamba, UN Special Representative for Children and recruited 313 children. Armed Conflict, and SDF Commander-in-Chief Mazlum Ko- As a result, the YPJ (Women's Protection Units) and bane (left) sign a Plan of Action to stop the recruitment of child YPG (People's Protection Units) have been moved However, other Syrian opposition fac­ from the UN's List A (actor not taking action in the tions recruited 424 underage fighters soldiers, June 29, 2019. (Photo: UN/Jean Marc Ferre) reporting period) to List B (actor taking some action, combined; this included the HTS (187), FSA (170), Kino underlined that in the past, there was not “en­ including engaging with the UN on child protec­ Ahrar al-Sham (34), Army of Islam (17), and Nur al- ough discipline within the military forces due to on­ tion). Din al-Zanki (16). The so-called Islamic State recrui­ going military operations against ISIS.” He added ted 30 underage fighters, and the Syrian that some commanders recruited children “without UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed government forces recruited 10. Unidentified armed our knowledge.” the SDF action plan last week during his presenta­ elements recruited 29. tion, in which he announced the new annual UN re­ SDF spokesperson Kino Gabriel told Kurdistan 24 However, the SDF is now taking active steps to end port on children and armed conflict. that they had been working to resolve the problem this problem and is committed to the Geneva for a while. “We acknowledge such cases, that's conventions and international law now that the Is­ “I urge SDF to expedite its implementation, notably why we [introduced the] order of the General lamic State has been territorially defeated. the screening of all children within their ranks, in­ Command of the SDF.” cluding their swift handover to civilian authorities,” The SDF official said children under 18 were often Guterres said. The SDF has significantly grown since it was esta­ trained in military academies, but not used for blished in October 2015, becoming the second-lar­ combat. He also emphasized the need to implement “aware­ gest armed forces after the Syrian army, with an ness-raising activities” and establish “a public com­ estimated 80,000 troops. Editing by Karzan Sulaivany

Ahual 06/08/2019 Social media campaign for Kurdish pol­ itician Selahattin Demirta§ group calling themselves the “Free Demirtaç to 142 years in prison, and has already Initiative” launched a social media cam­ served three years since 2016. paign demanding freedom for imprisoned Aformer Co-chair for Peoples' Democratic Party Demirtaç was convicted in one of the (HDP) Selahattin Demirtaç, reported left-leaning charges against him for a speech he news site Duvar on Tuesda . gave in 2005. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled in July The campaign was launched with a photograph of 2019 that the conviction was a violation Sadiye Demirtaç, the popular Kurdish politician's of the politician's right to free speech. mother, holding a sign that read “#freeDemirtas”. The ruling came after another decree by Another hashtag used by participants is #FreeThe- the court in November 2018 that mAll, referring to Demirtaç's co-chair Figen Uemirtas's detention throughout two Yüksekdag and the thousands of HDP members crucial elections had stifled pluralism awaiting trial in prisons. German parliament Cem Ozdemir, German Die and limited political debate. Linke's Co-chair Katja Kipping and Dutch MEP Kati Days after the ECHR ruling in July, a Turkish court Piri. ruled for the continuation of Demirtaç's arrest. Among participants of the social media campaign Accused of spreading propaganda for the outlawed are journalist Can Dündar, human rights cam­ Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), among other ter­ The next hearing for Demirtaç's case at the ECHR paigner and lawyer Eren Keskin, member of the rorism-related charges, Selahattin Demirtaç faces up will be held on September 18.

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- R U- DAW z/|*' Peshmerga, Iraqi army launch anti-ISIS op in Diyala

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdish Pesh- “We have controlled a 605 kilometer long merga and Iraqi armed forces launched si­ border with Syria,” he told Rudaw. “We multaneous operations against Islamic State carry out special operations into areas (ISIS) militants in Kolajo, Diyala province where ISIS militants are hiding.” on Monday morning, just days after mili­ tants killed four Kurdish security personnel In a report published in late July, UN Secu­ in the disputed area. rity Council monitors said although ISIS has been militarily defeated, the terrorist group “The objective behind this operation is to “has large numbers of fighters and other pursue ISIS militants and troublemakers in supporters in Iraq and the Syrian Arab Re­ this region,” Brig. Gen. Kamal Mahmood, Photo: Rudaw public and is able to operate freely in many commander of the Peshmerga Infantry locations and mount regular attacks to show Force Brigade 5, told Rudaw on Monday. Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi, as its potency and undermine public con­ Iraq's commander-in-chief, is coordinated fidence in the local authorities”. Mahmood's forces have been deployed by the Iraqi side of the operation. the Ministry of Peshmerga to reinforce ISIS is consolidating and creating conditions troops already stationed on the Kifri front. Abdul-Mahdi arrived in Diyala early on for an eventual resurgence in its Iraqi and Monday to supervise the third phase Syrian heartlands, the report warned. of “Will of Victory” - a military campaign launched in July targeting ISIS sleeper cells, “This process is more advanced in Iraq, hideouts, and weapons caches across the where Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and most of country's northwestern provinces and dis­ the ISIL (ISIS) leadership are now based. puted territories. Others are elsewhere in the former ‘caliph­ ate' area and parts of the immediate neigh­ “Day after day, activities by Daesh militants borhood,” the report added. are increasing and this is because of the massive void left between Peshmerga and ISIS was declared territorially defeated in the Iraqi forces,” Jamal Iminiki, Peshmerga Iraq in December 2017, but its remnants and Heavily armed Peshmerga units assemble in Ko- chief-of-staff, told Rudaw, using an Arabic sleeper cells remain active, returning to their lajo early on August 5, 2019 for an operation with acronym for ISIS. earlier insurgency tactics. Iraqi forces against Islamic State (ISIS) remnants The group sized vast areas of northern Iraq in the disputed area. Photo: Rudaw ISIS militants who retreated from Syria have in the summer of 2014. At the height of its reestablished their foothold in the disputed power between 2014 and 2016, ISIS con­ They are joined by Brigade 131 of the Pesh- areas, he warned. trolled an area roughly the size of Great Bri­ merga 70 Unit, a force affiliated with the Pa­ tain, spread across both Iraq and Syria. triotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, spokesperson for the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, ac­ Iraq's defense ministry announced on Sun­ “We will increase watch posts in Kolajo and knowledged ISIS has increased its activities day that US-led coalition warplanes killed we have brought in more reinforcements in the disputed areas, but insisted the threat six ISIS militants in an airstrike in and will station them in newly established will be removed through coordination with Makhmour, 60 kilometers southwest of frontlines,” Mahmood said. the Peshmerga. Erbil. Kolajo, a district of Kifri in Diyala province, is 188 kilometers southeast of Erbil between Kalar and Tuz Khurmatu. Sections of Diyala are disputed between both the Kurdistan Region and Iraqi federal government.

Monday's operation comes just four days after ISIS militants killed fourmembers of the Kurdish security forces and wounded eight others in a late-night assault on a checkpoint in Kolajo.

The extremist group claimed responsibility on Sunday.

Although the two forces worked together in the battle to retake Mosul from ISIS in 2016­ 17, joint Peshmerga-Iraqi armed forces op­ erations have since become extremely rare, owing in part to the collapse of Erbil-Bagh- dad relations in October 2017. Photo: Rudaw

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4tC fourrier Hit iSoir Par Kareem Salem lundi 7 août 2019 Rapprochement entre la Turquie et la Russie : vers une sortie de la Turquie de l'Otan ?

La Turquie, longtemps opposée à la Russie sur le sort du régime de Bachar Al-Assad en Syrie, s'est rapprochée ces dernières années du Kremlin après avoir été abandonnée par ses al­ liés occidentaux dans la guerre civile syrienne.

La montée de l'organisation État islamique (EI) dans la zone irako-syrienne avec la pro­ clamation d'un « califat islamique » en juin 2014, où les villes de Raqqa et Mossoul sont devenues les deux capitales de l'EI avait in­ quiété les puissances occidentales quant à l'avenir sécuritaire du Moyen-Orient et de l'Occident. Contre la volonté du président Er­ dogan, les puissances occidentales avaient dé­ cidé de soutenir les milices kurdes dans la lutte contre l'EI en Irak et en Syrie, y compris les Unités de protection du peuple (YPG), dans lesquelles la Turquie est hostile en raison de leurs liens avec le Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK) (Balci 2019 ; Brosseau 2018).

Cette décision a contribué à faire basculer le loi américaine dite Countering America's Ad­ Perspective président Erdogan vers Moscou, mécontent versaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). La Maison-Blanche ne devrait pas se précipiter que les puissances occidentales aient voulu vers des sanctions contre Ankara pour l'ins­ mettre en péril la sécurité turque (Ankara re­ L'achat du système S-400 est révélateur de tant. À l'heure actuelle, les enjeux sont trop doute de voir s'instaurer un État kurde dans l'évolution autoritaire et provocatrice du pré­ élevés pour que le président Trump mène une le nord de l'Irak et la Syrie qui pourrait renfor­ sident Erdogan. La victoire d'Erdogan au ré­ telle position. La Turquie est la deuxième cer les velléités séparatistes de la minorité férendum constitutionnel (2017) sur armée la plus puissante de l'Otan, de sorte que kurde sur son propre territoire) (Balci 2019). l'extension de ses pouvoirs a entraîné un ren­ toute nouvelle sanction à son encontre les Constatant que plus personne à part lui ne forcement des mesures liberticides dans l'es­ poussera à vouloir quitter l'Otan, affaiblissant voulait vraiment le départ d'Assad, le prési­ pace public turc. Les manifestants sont l'organisation de défense. La Turquie aux dent Erdogan s'est résigné à pactiser avec la souvent arrêtés lorsque leurs revendications confins de l'Europe, du Caucase et du Moyen- Russie (Balci 2017). Le président Erdogan a vont à l'encontre du régime (Mediapart 2018). Orient, Washington perdrait un allié straté­ promis de ne plus réclamer le départ d'Assad gique. alors que le président Poutine a promis de ré­ Le président Erdogan s'est également montré duire le soutien du Kremlin aux Kurdes en hostile à ses alliés de l'Otan. Le président Er­ Les États-Unis ont des intérêts stratégiques en Syrie (Balci 2017). dogan avait accusé la Haye d'être responsable Turquie notamment la base militaire d'Incirlik, du massacre de Srebrenica, la pire tuerie une base importante pour les forces améri­ Livraison du système antimissile russe S-400. commise en Europe depuis la Seconde Guerre caines pour lutter contre le terrorisme au L'achat du système antimissile russe S-400 est mondiale (Douïeb 2017). Des propos infondés Moyen-Orient. L'armée américaine avait uti­ révélateur de la volonté du président Erdogan étant que pour mémoire des unités de l'armée lisé cette base pour mener des frappes contre de mettre en péril la sécurité de ses alliés de de la République serbe de Bosnie avaient tué l'EI en Irak et en Syrie (Maligorne 2015). l'Otan et de se rapprocher avec l'ennemi juré 8100 hommes et garçons musulmans à Srebre­ de l'Alliance. Le système S-400 contient quatre nica. En mars 2017, le président Erdogan avait Pour Ankara, une sortie de l'Otan et un divisions de batteries antimissiles, capable aussi accusé la chancelière allemande de rapprochement de défense plus affirmé avec d'abattre des avions dans un rayon de 400 ki­ « nazie » suite à la décision du gouvernement la Russie ne feraient que priver la Turquie lomètres, à une vitesse de 17.000km/h (Avril allemand de suspendre l'annulation de mee­ d'importants équipements militaires améri­ 2019). Une mise en exploitation de ce système tings dans les villes allemandes où des minis­ cains. L'exclusion de la Turquie du pro­ peut permettre à Moscou d'avoir la main sur tres turcs étaient censés participer à la défense gramme d'avions de chasse F-35 met en des données stratégiques relatives aux F-35, du « oui » au référendum constitutionnel évidence les pertes de défense qu'un allié de qui équipent par ailleurs six armées de l'Otan (Wieder 2017). l'Otan encourt quand des contrats de défense (Avril 2019). sont conclus avec la Russie. Les valeurs défendues par les puissances oc­ En conséquence, Washington a pris la décision cidentales de l'Otan, telles que le pluralisme et Il est donc temps de négocier avec Ankara sur d'exclure la participation de la Turquie du pro­ le devoir de chaque membre de l'alliance de la non-mise en service du système S-400. Le gramme d'avions de chasse F-35. Les entre­ préserver la sécurité de chacun, suggèrent que fonctionnement de ce système ne ferait qu'af­ prises turques devront faire face à une perte depuis le renforcement des pouvoirs du pré­ faiblir les relations entre les deux pays au pro­ de 9 milliards de dollars (Jégo 2019). De plus, sident Erdogan et son rapprochement avec le fit du Kremlin. plusieurs membres du Congrès américain, ré­ président Poutine que la Turquie s'est éloignée publicains et démocrates, menacent d'imposer de ces principes. des sanctions contre la Turquie prévues par la

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LE FIGARO Par Minoui, Delphine 7 août 2019 Syrie : Ankara menace d'une offensive contre les Kurdes Erdogan cherche à mettre la pression dans ses négociations avec Washington sur la « zone de sécurité » à la frontière.

PROCHE-ORIENT La menace d'une interven­ tion militaire turque dans le Nord syrien est de nouveau à l'ordre du jour. Mardi, Recep Tayyip Erdogan a évoqué la possibilité de lancer « très bientôt » une opération contre les forces YPG, une milice kurde soutenue par les États-Unis et que la Turquie considère comme « organisation terroriste ». Le président turc, qui s'exprimait à l'occasion de la visite de responsables militaires à Ankara, et au lendemain de discussions in­ fructueuses, a précisé : « Si Dieu le veut, le pro­ cessus que nous avons commencé (...) va entrer dans une nouvelle phase très bientôt. »

Au cœur de la discorde entre les deux pays al­ liés de l'Otan : la fameuse « zone de sécurité » qu'Erdogan ne cesse d'appeler de ses vœux de­ puis le début de la guerre syrienne pour faire barrage aux velléités indépendantistes des Kurdes de Syrie - et empêcher leur effet do­ mino sur les Kurdes de Turquie. Pour ce faire, Ankara cherche à imposer deux conditions : sur Recep Tayyip Erdogan (ici le 15 juillet, à Istanbul) a évoqué la possibilité de lancer «très bientôt» la profondeur de la bande, qu'elle souhaite être une opération contre les forces YPG, une milice kurde soutenue par les États-Unis. Murad Sezer/REUTERS de 30 kilomètres ; et sur le contrôle de cette zone, qu'elle revendique dans son intégralité. Deux opérations en trois ans contrôlés par les YPG à l'est de l'Euphrate qui Cherchant visiblement à mettre la pression sont dans le collimateur d'Ankara. Déterminé, le président turc a déclaré qu'il at­ dans les négociations turco-américaines, An­ tendait des États-Unis des « mesures seyantes kara aurait d'ores et déjà déployé des véhicules Ces derniers jours, la Turquie n'a cessé de le ré­ à un véritable allié ». Mais Washington ne militaires et des unités de commandos vers des péter : si les propositions américaines ne sont partage pas la même vision. Si les Américains localités turques mitoyennes de la Syrie, selon pas « satisfaisantes », elle lancera une opération ont fait le choix de se désengager de Syrie, ils des médias turcs. De quoi rappeler certains en Syrie pour imposer cette « safe zone » de n'ont pas pour autant l'intention d'abandonner précédents. En trois ans, la Turquie a déjà lancé façon unilatérale. De quoi provoquer l'ire du les milices kurdes, qu'ils considèrent parmi deux offensives terrestres remarquées dans le nouveau chef du Pentagone. Mark Esper, qui leurs principaux alliés dans la région. Les YPG nord-ouest de la Syrie contre les Unités de pro­ s'exprimait mardi devant la presse, a jugé sont en effet l'épine dorsale des Forces démo­ tection du peuple (YPG). La première, en 2016, « inacceptable » toute « incursion unilatérale » cratiques syriennes (FDS), une coalition kurdo- s'était concentrée sur la zone de Djarabulus, où d'Ankara contre les combattants kurdes. « Ce arabe que les États-Unis et d'autres pays l'armée turque avait d'abord délogé les djiha- que nous allons faire, c'est empêcher des incur­ occidentaux, comme la France, ont appuyée et distes de l'EI avant de s'en prendre aux forces sions unilatérales qui seraient contraires aux in­ armée contre les djihadistes de l'État islamique kurdes. La seconde, en 2018, avait directement térêts que nous partageons », a-t-il ajouté dans (EI). visé les combattants kurdes dans l'enclave son allocution qui précédait celle du président d'Afrine. Cette fois, ce sont les territoires turc, tout en maintenant ouverte la porte des négociations. Washington, a-t-il précisé, tente Situation militaire tendue à la frontière turco-syrienne de « trouver (avec les Turcs) un arrangement CONTRÔLE (OU PRÉSENCE) LE 6 AOÛT 2019 LES OCCIDENTAUX EN SYRIE LES EXIGENCES TURQUES qui réponde à leurs inquiétudes ». Il a même Zone de sécurité de 30 km Forces démocratiques syriennes (FDS)" Régime syrien O Présence américaine < : Retrait des FDS de Manbij évoqué des « progrès » sur « certains des points H % de profondeur sous contrôle turc Rebelles syriens,,. ■ ...avec le soutien de l’armée turque O Présence française les plus importants ». *YPG kurde et ses alliés arabes (avec les soutien des Occidentaux)

30 km Recep Tayyip Erdogan s'est montré plus ferme. « Assécher le marécage du terrorisme dans le nord de la Syrie est notre principale priorité », a-t-il insisté. Au-delà de la question kurde, la fameuse zone tampon recèle un intérêt particu­ lier pour Ankara : c'est dans cette bande de ter­ ritoire syrienne accolée à la Turquie que les autorités turques aimeraient, à terme, relocali­ ser les réfugiés syriens.

D. M. (À ISTANBUL)

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LE'TI G A RO Le Figaro avec AFP | le 07/08/2019

Une offensive turque contre les Kurdes syriens serait «inacceptable» Le nouveau chef du Pentagone, Mark Esper, a estimé mardi qu'une offensive de la Turquie dans le nord-est syrien contre les combattants kurdes serait «inacceptable» et prévenu que Washington empêcherait toute «incursion unilatérale».

a Turquie négocie avec les Etats-Unis de l'éventuelle création d'une «zone de sécu­ rité» dans les zones contrôlées par les Amé­ Lricains dans le nord de la Syrie, afin séparer la frontière turque de certaines positions kurdes. Ces derniers jours, la Turquie a plusieurs fois af­ firmé que si les propositions américaines n'étaient pas «satisfaisantes», elle lancerait une opération en Syrie pour mettre en place cette «zone de sécurité» de façon unilatérale.

«Nous considérons que toute action unilatérale de leur part serait inacceptable», a prévenu Mark Esper dans l'avion qui l'acheminait à Tokyo, troi­ sième étape de sa première tournée internatio­ nale qui l'a déjà mené en Australie et Nouvelle-Zélande. «Ce que nous tentons de faire, c'est de trouver avec eux un arrangement qui réponde à leurs inquiétudes», a ajouté le chef Mark Esper à Sydney (Australie), le 4 août 2019. Saeed KHAN / AFP du Pentagone. (YPG, composante kurde des FDS) à l'est de l'Eu­ qui concerne le nord de la Syrie». La Turquie La Turquie a renouvelé lundi son appel aux phrate. Mark Esper a rappelé que l'EI restait actif considère les YPG comme un «groupe terroriste» Etats-Unis pour qu'ils cessent de soutenir les dans la région, même s'il a perdu le territoire qui menace sa sécurité nationale. Forces démocratiques syriennes (FDS), une coali­ qu'il contrôlait dans le nord de la Syrie et de Selon la presse turque, les négociations avec les tion de combattants arabo-kurdes qui se sont bat­ l'Irak. En outre, les FDS détiennent des milliers Américains achoppent pour l'instant sur la pro­ tus aux côtés des Occidentaux contre les de djihadistes locaux et étrangers dans le nord de fondeur d'une éventuelle «zone de sécurité», An­ djihadistes du groupe Etat islamique (EI) en la Syrie et les Kurdes, qui ont peur d'être aban­ kara réclamant une bande de 30 km de large, Syrie. «Nous attendons des Etats-Unis qu'ils ré­ donnés par les Occidentaux, ont prévenu qu'ils bien plus que la formule avancée par Washing­ pondent positivement à notre appel de cesser ne pourraient pas continuer à les garder s'ils ton. Par ailleurs, la Turquie souhaite avoir seule leur coopération» avec les Kurdes syriens, a dé­ étaient attaqués par la Turquie. le contrôle de cette zone. Mark Esper a indiqué claré le chef de la diplomatie turque Mevlüt Ca- que les négociations se poursuivaient sur cette vusoglu. «Nous n'avons aucune intention de les abandon­ question. «Nous avons progressé sur certains des ner», a assuré Mark Esper. «Ce que nous allons points les plus importants», a-t-il indiqué, sans Dimanche, le président Recep Tayyip Erdogan faire, c'est empêcher des incursions unilatérales plus de précision.«Nous allons poursuivre nos avait menacé de lancer une offensive contre les qui seraient contraires aux intérêts que nous discussions et je suis convaincu que nous trou­ positions des Unités de protection du peuple partageons - Etats-Unis, Turquie et FDS - en ce verons une solution en temps voulu».

REUTERS Wednesday, August 07, 2019 Two Iran Revolutionary Guards killed in clash with militants

DUBAI (Reuters) - Two members of Iran's while defending the fatherland," the televi­ of Kurdistan (PJAK), accused by Tehran of elite Revolutionary Guards have been killed sion reported. links to Kurdish PKK insurgents in Turkey. in clashes with militants in a northwestern (Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by region near the border with Turkey, Iranian It gave no further details. There are frequent Alexandra Hudson) state television reported on Wednesday. clashes in western Iran between the Islamic Republic's security forces and Iranian Kurd­ "The governor of Maku said two Guards ish militant groups mostly based in neigh­ were martyred in a clash with terrorists boring Iraq, including the Party of Free Life

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UWfttt élie SAÏKALI | 07.08/2019 LE JOUR Opération turque dans l'Est : le ton durcit entre Ankara et Washington

emblant plus impatient que jamais d'en des PYD (branche politique des YPG) », explique ne pourraient pas continuer à les garder s'ils finir avec la présence armée kurde des YPG Nawar Oliver, chercheur et analyste au centre étaient attaqués par la Turquie. « Nous n'avons (Unités de protection du peuple, considé­ Omran, un groupe de réflexion basé à Istanbul, aucune intention de les abandonner, a assuré M. Srées comme « terroriste » par la Turquie) dans lecontacté par L'Orient-Le Jour. « On a parfaitement Esper en parlant des combattants kurdes. Ce que Nord syrien, le président turc Recep Tayyip Er­ vu ces casse-têtes à Manbij après la signature nous allons faire, c'est empêcher des incursions dogan a annoncé hier, lors de la conférence an­ d'une feuille de route (en juin 2018) pour évacuer unilatérales qui seraient contraires aux intérêts nuelle des ambassadeurs, que le combat que son la zone des membres des PYD. Les Américains que nous partageons en ce qui concerne le nord pays mène en Syrie allait « très bientôt » entrer sont certes en train de s'en tenir, mais de manière de la Syrie. » « dans une nouvelle phase ».« Nous ne pouvons très lente, ce qui ne plaît pas aux Turcs », ajoute- plus rester silencieux, notre patience est à bout. t-il. Mais devant la détermination et l'impatience (...) Nous sommes entrés dans Afrin, Jarabulus et turques, et compte tenu de l'impossibilité de trou­ al-Bab (Nord-Ouest). Nous allons aller à l'est de Mais cette fois-ci, l'heure semble néanmoins être ver (pour l'instant) un accord, la Turquie peut-elle l'Euphrate », avait déjà martelé le reïs dimanche à l'urgence. Des informations du Washington prendre le risque de faire grimper la température dernier, indiquant notamment avoir « partagé Post affirment que l'offensive turque devrait se en se frottant aux YPG malgré la présence améri­ cette information » avec Washington et Moscou. produire « d'ici à deux semaines », ce qui laisse caine ? « Je vois mal la Turquie entrer en guerre très peu de temps aux Américains pour trouver contre les États-Unis », explique Thomas Pierret, Ces déclarations interviennent au moment où les une solution qui satisfasse à la fois la Maison- chargé de recherche au CNRS (Paris) et à l'Ire- Américains, toujours présents militairement en Blanche et le Saray (palais présidentiel turc). « Si mam (Aix-en-Provence), contacté par L'OLJ. « Ou Syrie et soutenant les combattants kurdes dans le la Turquie refuse les conditions des États-Unis, alors, les Turcs sont en train de bluffer et tablent cadre de la lutte contre le terrorisme dans la ré­ l'administration a clairement indiqué qu'elle ne sur le fait que le président Trump ne va pas hési­ gion, tentent de trouver un accord avec Ankara pouvait pas (...) intervenir pour protéger les ter à partir en courant s'ils attaquent », ajoute-t- afin d'empêcher cette offensive, notamment à tra­ combattants kurdes », explique le quotidien amé­ il. « Si les forces turques entrent en masse dans vers la création d'une « zone de sécurité » entre ricain. Une chose est néanmoins sûre, c'est que les l'Est syrien et que les Américains se retirent du la frontière turque et les forces armées kurdes. Américains ne comptent pas laisser leur parte­ jeu, l'échiquier est complètement transformé (...) Mais les discussions autour de cette « zone », un naire au sein de l'OTAN intervenir sans rien faire. et là, la Russie peut avoir un rôle important à projet posé sur la table des négociations depuis jouer même si elle n'a rien à dire sur ce qui se plusieurs mois, et réclamé par les Turcs depuis Réponse américaine passe dans le Nord-Est », explique Thomas Pier- des années, sont actuellement au point mort.La ret. dernière offre proposée par l'administration amé­ Suite aux dernières déclarations du président ricaine à la Turquie devrait, selon les analystes, turc, le nouveau secrétaire américain de la Dé­ « En cas d'actions militaires entreprises par les être refusée par la Turquie pour non-respect des fense Mark Esper est monté hier au créneau, esti­ Turcs dans la région, la réponse américaine se li­ conditions qu'elle a imposées. Ankara souhaite mant qu'une offensive de la Turquie serait mitera à des actions de surveillance (...) Ils n'es­ en effet étendre son contrôle exclusif sur une « inacceptable ». Il a également prévenu que saieront pas de repousser l'attaque ni de bande de terre profonde de 30 à 40 km, et longue Washington empêcherait « toute incursion unila­ riposter », estime Nawar Oliver, expliquant que entre Tall Abyad et la frontière irakienne (soit plus térale menaçant les intérêts mutuels que parta­ « le seul élément qui conduirait à une riposte de 300 km). Ces mêmes territoires avaient été gent les États-Unis, la Turquie et les Forces américaine serait dans le cas où une menace réelle conquis par les YPG à la suite de leur lutte sur démocratiques syriennes (FDS) dans le nord de la est exercée sur un soldat américain ou une base l'EI. De leur côté, les Américains proposent aux Syrie ». « Ce que nous tentons de faire, c'est de américaine ». L'offensive turque, si elle a lieu Turcs des patrouilles conjointes sur un territoire trouver avec eux un arrangement qui réponde à comme prévu, devra toutefois être millimétrée. profond de 14 km, long de 140 km, et débarrassé leurs inquiétudes », a ajouté le chef du Pentagone. Tout malentendu ou erreur de calcul pourrait très des YPG. Le gouvernement turc envisage égale­ sérieusement endommager les relations entre les ment d'utiliser cette « zone » pour faciliter le re­ Mais l'un des points essentiels concerne la pré­ deux partenaires de l'OTAN, déjà mises à mal tour des réfugiés syriens présents sur son sol au sence (persistante) de l'EI en Syrie malgré la dis­ non seulement sur la question syrienne, mais nombre de trois millions et demi. parition de son « califat » territorial. Les forces aussi sur celle des missiles S-400 que la Turquie a armées kurdes détiennent en effet plusieurs mil­ achetés à la Russie. Les YPG ont de leur côté pré­ « Fondamentalement, les Turcs ont une mauvaise liers de jihadistes locaux et étrangers dans le nord venu qu'ils riposteraient à toute attaque de la Tur­ expérience avec les Américains en ce qui concerne de la Syrie. Les Kurdes, qui ont peur d'être aban­ quie, au risque de dégarnir le front de la lutte les négociations autour de la question du dossier donnés par les Occidentaux, ont prévenu qu'ils contre l'EI.

La Nouvelle Tribune 7 août 2019 Iran : deux soldats d'élite tués par des terroristes

Deux membres de l'élite des gardes de la révo­ Mehdizadeh and Nasser Sorori auraient été en­ la communauté internationale, dont il partage­ lution iraniens, rapporte la télévision nationale gagé aux côtés de l'armée régulière iranienne, rait les idéologies, la logistique et surtout le iranienne ce mercredi, auraient été tués lors ‘'Les gardes de la Révolution'' dans le conflit même leadership, celui d'Abdullah Ocalan. A d'affrontements avec des militants dans la ré­ que le pays avaient engagé avec les sépara­ la différence du PKK agissant surtout en Tur­ gion de Maku, une ville montagneuse du nord- tistes nationalistes kurdes du PJAK (Party of quie, le PJAK lui se serait concentré sur l'Iran. ouest de la province de l'Azerbaïdjan Free Life of Kurdistan). occidental en Iran. Les ‘'terroristes'' seraient Les soldats tombés en, martyrs « tout en dé­ des activistes kurdes iraniens, basés en Irak. Le PJAK étant groupe nationaliste kurde mili­ fendant la mère patrie » poursuivait le gouver­ tant établi dans les régions montagneuses du neur de Maku au cours de son communiqué, Des soldats qui défendaient la ‘'Mère patrie'' nord de l'Irak, ayant des liens avec aurait reçu les hommages de la Nation au Selon le communiqué du gouverneur le PKK (Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan) cours d'une cérémonie qui eut lieu à la mos­ de Maku, les soldats tombés, les Lts. Nasser groupe armé répertorié comme terroriste par quée Abulfazl de Bazargan .

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EkurdDa

Turkish attack on Syrian Kurds would spark a ‘big war' if U.S.-Turkish talks fail: leader

QAMISHLO, Syrian Kurdistan,— A Tur­ Washington has for years supported the kish attack on Kurdish-led forces in Syrian Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces Kurdistan (Rojava) in northeast Syria would (SDF) in the fight against the Islamic State spark a “big war” if U.S. efforts fail to block group in Syria, as part of an international Ankara's plans, a top Kurdish official told anti-jihadist coalition dominated by the Reuters on Wednesday. Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). But U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly Badran Jia Kurd also said most forces would announced the pullout from Syria. have to deploy to the border with Turkey in case of attack, and could no longer hunt Is­ The Kurdish PYD and its powerful military lamic State sleeper cells or guard thousands wing YPG/YPJ, considered the most effec­ of IS prisoners. tive fighting force against IS in Syria and U.S. has provided them with arms. The NATO allies Ankara and Washington have YPG, which is the backbone of the SDF been deadlocked for months over a planned Badran Jia Kurd, top Syrian Kurdish official, forces, has seized swathes of Syria from Is­ “safe zone” in northeast Syria. Qamishlo, Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), January 3, lamic State. They agreed on Wednesday to establish a 2019. Photo: Reuters joint operation center in Turkey to manage Despite Kurdish fears, on Monday the Pen­ the zone, but neither said if they had over­ prevent through talks with foreign states. tagon insisted any unilateral offensive by come two main points of division: how far But he added there was silence from Euro­ Turkey would be “unacceptable“. the zone should extend and who would pean countries and “lack of seriousness” command forces patrolling it. from Russia. Turkey fears the creation of a Kurdish auto­ nomous region or Kurdish state in Syrian Jia Kurd and a second top Kurdish politi­ “On the American side, there are attempts Kurdistan could encourage separatism cian said the fruits of U.S.-Turkish talks re­ to block the Turkish attack but it needs re­ amongst its own Kurds, according to ana­ mained unclear. solve.” lysts.

“We want a political solution and dialogue,” He repeated warnings from Kurdish leaders Turkey has launched two previous offenses said Jia Kurd, adviser to the Kurdish-led ad­ in recent months that an assault would into Syria against the Kurdish YPG, in 2016 ministration running Syrian Kurdistan, create chaos which Islamist militants could and 2018 respectively. much of north and east Syria, after eight exploit for a resurgence. years of civil war that has largely abated In 2016, the Turkish troops entered northern over the past year. U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said this Syria in an area some 100 km east of Afrin week any Turkish operation into northern to stop the Kurdish YPG forces from exten­ “But if these regional and international ef­ Syria would be “unacceptable”. He said the ding areas under their control and connec­ forts are exhausted, then we will be in a United States did not have any “ambition” ting Syrian Kurdistan's Kobani and Hasaka total, grave military confrontation.” to abandon the SDF, but stopped short of in the east with Afrin canton in the west. guaranteeing that it would protect them in Ankara views the Kurdish YPG militia, case of a Turkish attack. In January 2018, Turkish military forces which spearheads the Syrian Democratic backed pro-Ankara Syrian mercenary figh­ Forces, as terrorists posing a threat along its Aldar Xelil, the senior Kurdish politician, ters to clear the YPG from its northwestern border. It has already sent troops into nor­ said he did not expect Washington and its enclave of Afrin. In March 2018, the opera­ thern Syria twice in recent years targeting allies to back away from helping the SDF tion was completed with the capture of the the Kurdish fighters. combat Islamic State sleeper cells to secure Kurdish city of Afrin. the region. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had said The flags of Turkey and Syrian rebel groups on Sunday that a military operation was im­ The Turkish “threats are serious and have were raised in the Kurdish Afrin city and a minent in Syria east of the Euphrates river, dangerous implications on Syria,” he statue of Kurdish hero Kawa, a symbol of territory which the Kurdish SDF control and added. “We do not want a war with any resistance against oppressors, was torn where U.S. forces are stationed. side. But if we come under any attack, we down. will not sit back and watch.” Washington, which armed the SDF in the Residents of the Kurdish city and Human fight against Islamic State, had resisted Tur­ Syrian Kurdish forces have played a key right groups accuse Turkey and pro-Ankara key's demands for full control of a long strip role in the US-backed fight against the Isla­ fighters of kidnappings for ransom, armed of land that would extend 32 km (20 miles) mic State group. robberies and torture. into Syria. The Kurdish YPG forces expelled the Isla­ Copyright © 2019, respective author or Jia Kurd said a Turkish assault would lead mic State group from its last patch of terri­ news agency, Ekurd.net | Reuters to a “catastrophic conflict” that officials in tory in the eastern Syrian village of Baghouz the SDF region were doing all they could to in March 2019.

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by Hardi Mohammed | 08-08-2019

Kurdish parties reject 2020 provincial election in disputed Kirkuk

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Including the A Gorran official, who spoke to Rudaw on disputed province of Kirkuk in Iraq's 2020 condition of anonymity, said the party may provincial elections will strip displaced call on other Kurdish parties to boycott the Kurds of their right to vote and entrench the Kirkuk provincial election if the amend­ ‘Arabization' polices which have forced ment passes. Kurds out of military and administrative posts, Kurdish parties warned this week. Kurdish residents of Kirkuk are also con­ cerned about the weight of the Kurdish vote Iraq's parliament recently agreed to hold if the election takes place on April 1. provincial council elections across Iraq on April 1, 2020, including the disputed prov­ “We are in favor of elections. We will stand ince of Kirkuk, which has long enjoyed a by our Kurdish [ethnic identity]. But it is not special status and has not held a provincial in our interests if the election is held at this election since 2005. stage,” said Salar Star, a shopkeeper in Kir­ kuk. Under new amendments to the election law, Kirkuk's voter register is to be based on A Kurdish man walks through the streets of Kir­ Haval Abdulsamad, a Kurdish resident, food ration cards and Civil Status Identifi­ kuk, September 18, 2017. File photo: AFP said Kurdish parties should not boycott the cation Cards. Local Kurds who have had election. However, he is not convinced an their documents transferred to other cities kuk to discuss the Provincial Elections Law election will bring about change in the trou­ as a result of displacement and Arabization and put forth steps to appeal it before it is bled province. would be disqualified. signed by the President of Iraq Barham Salih - also a Kurd of the PUK. Due to rivalries between Turkmen, Arabs, Iraq's deposed president Saddam Hussein and Kurds, provincial elections have not implemented Arabization policies between “This problem has existed in Kirkuk since taken place in the ethnically mixed city of the 1970s and 90s to ethnically cleanse the 2005. Arabs and Turkmen have doubts Kirkuk since 2005. disputed territories of their Kurdish com­ about Kirkuk's voter list. They think it re­ munities and settled Arab families in their quires revising through a mechanism that As many as 900,000 voters are eligible to place. depends on food ration cards and IDs,” vote across the province. Rebwar Taha, another PUK MP in the Iraqi Although many of these policies were re­ parliament, told Rudaw English. Since 2003, Iraq has allowed Kirkuk to hold versed after Saddam's removal from power just one single provincial election due to its in 2003, Arab settlers have since returned to The Turkmen community has been particu­ “exceptional status”. stake their claim to the land, while Kurdish larly vocal about what it calls “Kurdish de­ officials have been removed from positions mographic change”. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) did of influence. not stand candidates in Kirkuk during the Turkmen Front leader Arshad Salehi May 12, 2018 Iraqi parliamentary election. It Kurdish parties insist the election register claimed in mid-July that Kurdish leaders said the city was “occupied”and demanded should instead rely on the 1957 Iraqi census, have settled as many as 600,000 Kurds from the normalization of its politics and security which pre-dates the Arabization policy and Erbil, Sulaimani, and neighboring countries before it would agree to take part. better reflects Kirkuk's ethnic population. in Kirkuk to tip the demographic balance in their favor. Kirkuk was seized by Iraqi Army and Almas Fazil, a Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Hashd al-Shaabi forces on October 16, 2017 (PUK) member of the Iraqi parliament, has The Kurdish side believes one potential so­ after Kurdish Peshmerga forces withdrew in called for the provincial election in Kirkuk lution is to amend the law so that Kurds ac­ the face of a major assault. to be delayed until the law is amended. knowledged by the Article 140 Investigative Committee as belonging to Kirkuk are in­ Oil-rich Kirkuk is a flashpoint between Erbil “According to Article 4 of the law, the [Iraqi] cluded in the election register to “guaran­ and Baghdad, which both stake a claim to Council of Ministers could exclude and tee” their right to vote. the province. It is one of the disputed terri­ delay a province from the elections,” she tories and as such falls under Article 140 of told Rudaw English on Thursday. Kurdish parties are now forming a joint the Iraqi constitution, drafted to resolve the committee so they have a common voice on dispute but never implemented. “We will start appealing the law in the par­ political matters in the disputed province. liament and pursue other legal procedures Under Article 140, a census and referendum later,” Fazil added. “We must be united this time in Baghdad should have been held by 2007 to determine and Kirkuk,” said Mohammed Jalil, head of whether Kirkuk should join the autono­ The Provincial Elections Law is still progres­ the Komal election office. mous Kurdistan Region or remain a federal sing through parliament and has not yet Iraqi province. been submitted to the Iraqi presidency. Even if Kurdish sides fail to stop the law's amendment, they should “get together to A group of Kurdish political parties includ­ form a joint Kurdish list in order to face all ing the PUK gathered on Wednesday in Kir- the challenges”, he added.

38 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti fgjge 08/08/2019 La Syrie fustige l'accord américano-turc visant à établir une zone de ✓ • g X V /» g • V sécurité à sa frontière

'accord américano-turc établi mer­ credi dernier vient de mettre le feu aux poudres. Après trois jours de Lnégociations entre Ankara et Washington, le feu vert a été donné pour la création d'une zone de sécurité au nord de la Syrie. La Syrie voit rouge et dénonce « une violation des principes du droit inter­ national ».

Damas rejette « catégoriquement » l'ac­ cord américano-turc visant à établir un centre d'opérations conjointes pour le nord de la Syrie en vue de l'établissement d'une « zone de sécurité » dans cette ré­ gion à majorité kurde, a rapporté ce jeudi un média d'Etat.

Mercredi dernier, la Turquie et les Etats- Unis ont décidé d'établir un « centre d'opérations conjointes » pour coordon­ ner la création d'une « zone de sécu­ rité » dans le nord de la Syrie, une mesure visant à prévenir un affrontement entre forces turques et kurdes.

« L'accord constitue une Des gens marchent dans une allée de la ville de Manbij au nord de la Syrie, le 5 août 2019. | AFP agression flagrante » Damas dénonce l'instrumentalisation des La Turquie avait multiplié ces « La Syrie rejette catégoriquement l'ac­ kurdes par les américains derniers jours les menaces d'intervention cord des deux occupants américain et turc contre les positions kurdes dans le nord sur la création de ce qui est appelé zone L'annonce de l'accord américano-turc de la Syrie. Mardi dernier encore, le pré­ de sécurité », a indiqué l'agence officielle est intervenue après trois jours d'intenses sident Recep Tayyip Erdogan affirmait Sana, citant une source au ministère sy­ négociations entre Ankara et Washington, que, faute d'accord, il lancerait « très bien­ rien des Affaires étrangères. qui cherche à éviter une nouvelle opéra­ tôt »une opération. tion militaire turque contre les Unités de « L'accord constitue une agression fla­ protection du peuple (YPG), une milice Les Kurdes, une minorité ethnique long­ grante contre la souveraineté et l'unité ter­ kurde qui contrôle des zones du nord de temps marginalisée en Syrie, a créé une ritoriale syriennes ainsi qu'une violation la Syrie. zone semi-autonome dans le nord du des principes du droit international », a pays à la faveur du conflit syrien, déclen­ déploré Damas. Damas a accusé les Kurdes syriens d'être ché en 2011. un « outil » dans ce « projet hostile » amé­ ricano-turc, affirmant que ces Ankara voit d'un mauvais oeil ce projet « La Syrie appelle la communauté inter­ derniers « assument une responsabilité d'autonomie à sa frontière, par crainte nationale et les Nations unies à condam­ historique à cet égard ». Les autorités sy­ qu'un noyau d'Etat kurde ne galvanise les ner cette agression américano-turque qui riennes appellent les Kurdes à « réviser velléités séparatistes de cette minorité sur constitue une escalade dangereuse (...) et leurs comptes et à retourner dans le giron son propre sol. Quant au régime syrien, il sape tous les efforts visant à trouver une national », a ajouté Sana. cherche à reconquérir l'ensemble du ter­ sortie à la crise syrienne », a ajouté la ritoire et refuse toute autonomie kurde. source diplomatique citée par Sana. La Turquie craint la création d'une zone kurde autonome

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LE FIGARO le 08/08/2019 Damas rejette l'accord américano-turc sur la zone tampon

amas rejette «catégoriquement» les Nations unies à condamner cette agression à «réviser leurs comptes et à retourner dans l'accord américano-turc visant à éta­ américano-turque qui constitue une escalade le giron national», a ajouté Sana. La Turquie blir un centre d'opérations dangereuse (...) et sape tous les efforts visant avait multiplié ces derniers jours les me­ Dconjointes pour le nord de la Syrie en vueà detrouver une sortie à la crise syrienne», a naces d'intervention contre les positions l'établissement d'une «zone de sécurité» ajouté la source diplomatique citée par Sana. kurdes dans le nord de la Syrie. Mardi en­ dans cette région à majorité kurde, a core, le président Recep Tayyip Erdogan af­ rapporté jeudi un média d'Etat. L'annonce mercredi de l'accord américano- firmait que, faute d'accord, il lancerait «très turc est intervenue après trois jours d'in­ bientôt» une opération. «La Syrie rejette catégoriquement l'accord tenses négociations entre Ankara et des deux occupants américain et turc sur la Washington, qui cherche à éviter une nou­ Les Kurdes, une minorité ethnique long­ création de ce qui est appelé zone de sécu­ velle opération militaire turque contre les temps marginalisée en Syrie, a créé une rité», a indiqué l'agence officielle Sana, ci­ Unités de protection du peuple (YPG), une zone semi-autonome dans le nord du pays tant le ministère syrien des Affaires milice kurde qui contrôle des zones du nord à la faveur du conflit syrien, déclenché en étrangères. de la Syrie. Jeudi, Damas a accusé les 2011. Ankara voit d'un mauvais œil ce projet Kurdes syriens d'être un «outil» dans ce d'autonomie à sa frontière, par crainte qu'un «L'accord constitue une agression flagrante «projet hostile» américano-turc, affirmant noyau d'Etat kurde ne galvanise les velléités contre la souveraineté et l'unité territoriale sy­ que ces derniers «assument une responsabi­ séparatistes de cette minorité sur son propre riennes ainsi qu'une violation des principes du lité historique à cet égard». sol. Quant au régime syrien, il cherche à re­ droit international», a déploré Damas. «La conquérir l'ensemble du territoire et refuse Syrie appelle la communauté internationale et Les autorités syriennes appellent les Kurdes toute autonomie kurde.

08/08/2019 Ocalan se dit prêt à trouver une solution au conflit turco-kurde

e leader kurde emprisonné, Abdullah Ocalan, s'est dit prêt à trouver une solu­ tion au problème kurde, déclarant qu'il Lpourrait mettre fin au conflit turco-kurde. Abdullah Ocalan, leader kurde incarceré de­ puis le 15 février 1999 sur l'Ile-prison d'Imrali, en Turquie.

Le leader kurde emprisonné, Abdullah Oca- lan, s'est dit prêt à trouver une solution au problème kurde, déclarant qu'il pourrait met­ tre fin au conflit turco-kurde en l'espace d'une semaine, ont annoncé ses avocats dans un communiqué jeudi 8 août.

Dans un communiqué publié aujourd'hui, les avocats d'Ocalan ont indiqué qu'ils avaient pu le rencontrer à nouveau mercredi, pour la pre­ mière fois depuis le 18 juin. Abdullah Ocalan, leader kurde incarcéré depuis le 15 février 1999 sur l'Ile-prison d'Imrali, en Turquie. Selon le communiqué, Ocalan a déclaré qu'il dépensait de grands efforts « pour ouvrir un les Kurdes n'avaient pas besoin d'un État maine cette situation conflictuelle ou poten­ espace aux Kurdes, en conformité avec les re­ propre. tiellement conflictuelle. Je peux la résoudre, lations historiques turco-kurdes réelles, par « J'essaie d'ouvrir un espace pour les Kurdes, j'ai confiance en moi, je suis prêt pour une so­ opposition à l'histoire factice produit de l'es­ venez-donc, résolvons le problème kurde », a- lution. Mais l'État et l'esprit d'Etat doivent prit de chauvin ». Il ajouté que, dans ce cadre, t-il dit. « J'affirme pouvoir résoudre en une se­ faire le nécessaire »

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franceinfo 08/08/2019 Trente-et-une familles yézidies victimes du groupe Etat islamique accueillies en France

'est la troisième opération d'accueil menée par la France, qui avait accueilli 16 familles en décembre dernier puis 28 Cautres en mai.

Trente-et-une familles yézidies, victimes du groupe Etat islamique (EI) sont arrivées en France, jeudi 8 août, pour y être accueillies, ont annoncé le Quai d'Orsay et le ministère de l'In­ térieur dans un communiqué commun. Leur vol en provenance d'Erbil, dans le Kurdistan irakien, s'est posé en début de journée à l'aéro­ port de Toulouse-Blagnac, précise le ministère des Affaires étrangères. Ces femmes, "particu­ lièrement éprouvées par les exactions de l'or­ ganisation terroriste" et leurs enfants vont être pris en charge "dans différents départements fuyant les violences commises par le en français". L'Etat français va leur assurer "pro­ jlJALAL / REUTERS) P tection, sécurité, éducation et accompagne­ ment médico-social". sident de la République auprès de Nadia d'une religion ésotérique monothéiste. En août Les ministères expliquent que l'accueil de ces Murad, prix Nobel de la paix 2018, à accueillir 2014, leur sort a basculé lorsque l'EI s'est em­ familles "s'inscrit dans la continuité des deux sur le territoire français 100 familles yézidies paré d'un tiers de l'Irak. Les jihadistes ont alors opérations déjà coordonnées par le ministère victimes des crimes" de l'EI. tué des hommes, transformé en enfants-soldats de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères". Ainsi, les plus jeunes et condamné des milliers de en décembre 2018 et mai 2019, 16 et 28 familles Vivant dans les coins reculés des montagnes femmes aux travaux forcés et à l'esclavagisme ont été respectivement accueillies sur le sol du Kurdistan irakien, dans le nord du pays, les sexuel. français. Cela "répond à l'engagement du pré- Yézidis sont une minorité kurdophone adepte

LE POPULAIRE 08-08-2019 DU CENTRE « Particulièrement éprouvées par les exactions »

Ce jeudi matin, 151 femmes et enfants groupe en décembre 2018 (16 femmes et leurs Enfants soldats et exclavage sexuel yézidis sont arrivées à l'aéroport de Toulouse- enfants - 83 personnes au total), suivi d'un Blagnac (Haute-Garonne), en provenance d'Er- autre (28 familles - 132 personnes) fin mai, En août 2014, l'État Islamique s'était livré selon bil, au Kurdistan irakien. ajoute le ministère français dans un communi­ l'ONU à un potentiel génocide contre les Yézi- qué, sans préciser le nombre d'enfants concer­ dis, cette minorité kurdophone adepte d'une Ces personnes « seront principalement dispat- nés cette fois. religion monothéiste ésotérique. En quelques chées en Haute-Vienne et dans le Tarn-et-Ga- ronne », a précisé à l'AFP Lionel Pourtau, L'opération est organisée comme la précédente jours, les jihadistes du "califat" autoproclamé directeur général de la section "réfugiés" à Ha­ par l'Organisation internationale pour les mi­ avaient tué des centaines d'hommes de la bitat et Humanisme, l'une des associations grations (OIM) et financée par le ministère communauté, enrôlé de force des enfants-sol­ chargées de la logistique d'accueil. français de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères, dats et réduit des milliers de femmes à l'escla­ précise le ministère de l'Intérieur. vage sexuel. Une information confirmée au Populaire du Centre par les services de la préfecture de la Ce nouvel accueil répond selon le ministère à « Près de 3.000 Yézidis sont toujours portés dis­ Haute-Vienne, qui n'ont toutefois pas souhaité l'engagement » pris par le président de la Répu­ parus, en majorité des femmes et des enfants, préciser le nombre de ces familles ni leur lieu blique Emmanuel Macron auprès de Nadia peut-être toujours captifs de Daech. d'hébergement. Un silence également observé Murad, prix Nobel de la paix 2018, « à accueillir par le Ministère des Affaires étrangères qui sur le territoire français cent familles yézidies avance l'argument de la sécurité de ces fa­ victimes des crimes commis par Daech ». Nadia Des centaines de milliers de réfugiés milles, victimes des exactions commises par le Murad a fait partie des milliers de femmes et Sur les 550.000 Yézidis d'Irak avant 2014 - soit groupe État Islamique (Daech). de petites filles yazidies enlevées et réduites à un tiers des Yézidis du monde -, 100.000 ont l'esclavage par Daech. pris le chemin de l'exil depuis 2014, principa­ Ces femmes et leurs enfants sont « particuliè­ lement en Allemagne, et 360.000 sont toujours rement éprouvées par les exactions » de Cette démarche témoigne selon le ministère « déplacés, notamment dans des camps où ils Daech. L'État leur assurera « protection, sécu­ de la volonté renouvelée de la France », mem­ sont aidés par les autorités et ONG. rité, éducation et accompagnement médico-so­ bre de la coalition militaire internationale qui cial », selon le ministère de l'Intérieur. a aidé le gouvernement irakien et des milices syriennes à vaincre militairement l'État Isla­ Un dernier groupe de Yézidis devrait arriver Une promesse du président mique ces dernières années, d'accueillir « des en France en novembre, d'après le responsable Cette arrivée porte à 75 le nombre de familles victimes de violences ethniques et religieuses de l'association Habitat et Humanisme. Avec yézidies arrivées en France depuis le premier au Moyen-Orient ». AFP

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- R U- DAW z/|*' Kurdish forces attack Turkish military base in Afrin, injure two soldiers

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Kurdish forces injured two soldiers in an attack on a Turk­ ish army base in Afrin, northern Syria, soon after a US-Turkey deal over the establish­ ment of a “peace corridor” in a bid to de-es­ calate tension in the region tensions was confirmed.

“One of our [military] bases was attacked by YPG/PKK terrorists in Afrin using anti­ tank warfare, injuring two of our soldiers. The attack was launched from Tel Rifaat re­ gion [southeast Afrin],” the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Friday.

The People's Protection Units (YPG) is a predominantly Kurdish force in northern Syria. It forms the backbone of the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which con­ trols much of Syria's north. Turkey claims that the YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which it has listed as a terrorist organization. Turkish forces during Operation Olive Branch in Afrin in January 2018. Photo: AA While clashes between the YPG-affiliated forces and Turkish proxies in Afrin are com­ cific operation targeting a military base of Kurdish forces in Syria and Turkey. mon, the Turkish army rarely makes official the Turkish occupation near the areas of confirmation of its own direct involvement clashes in the district of Shera, which re­ The deal, described by the US Embassy in or losses in them. sulted in the death of a number of Turkish Ankara as a way to “implement without delay soldiers, we were unable to determine the the first measures aimed at eliminating Tur­ Though the ministry confirmed a retaliation to number of wounded and dead. Helicopters key's concerns,” followed fresh threats by the attack, they did not disclose when the attack hovered over the area of Afrin to transport Turkish officials to attack SDF-controlled areas took place or their method of counter-attack. the dead and wounded," added HRE. in East of Euphrates in Syria.

Afrin Liberation Forces (HRE) - a Kurdish Turkish forces and its Syrian proxies took Kurdish officials from the Autonomous Ad­ armed group in Afrin affiliated with the control of the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in ministration of North and East Syria (NES), YPG - claimed it killed and injured an un­ March 2018, after a two-month offensive known by many Kurds as Rojava, have specified number of Turkish soldiers in against the YPG which had been in control warned that Turkish attacks will not end Shera district, Afrin on Thursday, in retalia­ of the area since 2014. until it controls all SDF-controlled areas - tion to the shelling of villages in Shera by and beyond. Turkish forces that killed of one of its Afrin had previously been under the control “If Turkey attacks northern Syria, they will members by the Turkish army. of Syrian regime forces, who withdrew dur­ not stop until they invade the whole coun­ ing Islamic State (ISIS) offensives on the try, not only northern part of Syria,” Samira "[T]he Turkish occupation forces shelled the area. al-Aziz, member of the Future Syria party's inhabited villages in the Shera district espe­ general council in Darbasiya, Hasakah gov­ cially the villages of Marnaz and Al-Maliki- Turkey wants to establish a buffer zone in ernorate, told Hawar News, a media outlet yah with artillery and mortar shells [on northern Syria, in which millions of Syrian close to the NES. Thursday]. Clashes took place between our refugees who have to fled to Turkey during forces and the Turkish occupation soldiers years of conflict are to be resettled. Similarly, Badran Jia Kurd, adviser to the and mercenaries in the village of Marnaz ... Kurdish-led administration in northern where one of our fighters was martyred,” it Following multiple meetings, both the US Syria told Reuters on Wednesday that any said. and Turkey announced on Wednesday that Turkish attack on the northern parts of Syria they have agreed to establish a “joint oper­ will result in creation of a “big war.” “In response, our forces carried out a spe- ation center” to manage tensions between

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Kirkuk official alleges ‘Arabization' as province gains new Arab voters in 2019

and Christians, is the epicenter of conten­ tion between Erbil and Baghdad and the most prominent of the territories disputed by the two.

Article 140 was introduced into the Iraqi constitution to allow its 2005 ratification by kicking controversial decisions on the dis­ puted territories down the road, but over a decade has passed since the 2007 deadline for the article's implementation.

Claims of forced demographic change have been commonplace in Kirkuk province, which historically has a Kurdish majority population. The demography of the area was dramatically shifted in the late twen­ tieth century during the reign of Saddam Hussein, who led a genocidal campaign against the Kurds.

A market in the disputed city of Kirkuk. (Photo Kurdistan 24) 10-08-2019 Read more: Kurdistan parliament investi­ gates 'Arabization' in Iraq's disputed terri­ tories ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - As local govern­ through which the government provides ments gear up for provincial elections families with a number of food items each Following the ouster of Hussein's Baathist scheduled to take place in early 2020, a sen­ month as a form of aid to low-income regime in 2003, the process entered a rever­ ior Kurdish official from Kirkuk alleged on households. However, all families are eligi­ sal and many Kurds moved to the province, Friday that forced demographic change was ble to receive it and it is a primary civil iden­ with some allowed to return to lands that taking place in the province with tens of tity document used in connection with had previously been taken from them. thousands of ethnic Arabs having moved elections. there in recent months and given the ability However, after Iraqi forces and Iran-backed to vote. “There is an official decree from the Council Hashd al-Shaabi militias pushed Kurdish of Ministers to all provinces including Kir­ Peshmerga forces from Kirkuk in late 2017, “This will have a major effect,” said Rebwar kuk that says no department is allowed to allegations of the forced displacement of Talabani, the head of the Kirkuk Provincial make any change in the nationality registra­ Kurds began to pop up as more and more Council (KPC). He told Kurdistan 24, “We tion or ration cards with the intended pur­ cases emerged where landowners were told call upon the federal government [of Iraq] pose of creating demographic change,” to vacate by ethnically Arab claimants who prevent any changes as soon as possible.” Talabani added. were in possession of Saddam-era doc­ uments. According to official numbers from the “This goes against the constitution... but Ministry of Trade, in the past seven months, there is no one to hold to account” those be­ Several Kurdish officials have accused the ration cards of close to 39,000 ethnically hind these actions, he concluded. ethnically Arab acting governor that was in­ Arab individuals have been switched from stalled at the time, Rakan Saeed, of facilitat­ other provinces to Kirkuk. This effectively The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) ing ethnically divisive policies in efforts to allows persons of eligible age to vote in the and the Iraqi federal government contest tip the balance against Kurds, who have a provincial elections, now set to be held next whether or not the province should be part majority of seats in the KPC and as a result April. of the Kurdistan Region. are entitled to choose Kirkuk's governor. Ration cards are a form of identification Kirkuk, home to Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, Editing by John J. Catherine

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Ahval Turkey plans to relocate 700,000 Syrians to northern Syria - Wall Street Journal

urkish government plans to relocate After nearly eight-months of negotiations with 700,000 Syrians in Turkey to the territories no concrete results, the United States and Turkey it aims to seize from the U.S.-backed Kurd­ on Wednesday announced that they had agreed Tish forces in northern Syria, the Wall Street Jour­ to establish a joint operation centre in Turkey for nal reported on Friday. a planned safe zone in northern Syria that would serve as a “peace corridor” for the safe return of The government has stepped up measures the Syrian refugees to their homeland. against refugee population in Turkey, after the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) The government is working on a plan to relocate faced defeats in five of the country's six most using a hotline to collect information from the 700,000 Syrians to territories it hopes to seize populous provinces in local polls on March 31. population on the location of refugees illegally from the YPG in northern Syria, people familiar Experts said in addition to Turkey's ailing econ­ living in the city, the WSJ said. with the matter told the Wall Street Journal. omy, resentment among voters against some 3.6 million registered Syrian refugees also played a The government last year announced plans to Refugees and advocacy groups say Turkish au­ role in the AKP's election losses. launch a military offensive in northern Syria to thorities in recent weeks have rounded up hun­ seize some enclaves controlled by the U.S.- dreds of Syrians and forcibly sent them back to While the Ministry of Interior announced meas­ backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Turkey their war-ravaged country, Politico reported on ures against irregular migration, the authorities sees the Kurdish People Protection Units (YPG), Friday. in Istanbul set Aug. 20 as deadline for Syrians to the armed wing of the SDF, as an offshoot of the return to the provinces they were registered or outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), while Cases of Syrians being sent back against their face punitive measures and the police intensified the YPG forms the backbone of the U.S-led coali­ will have been reported before, but the scale of controls to detect unregistered Syrians in Istan­ tion fighting against ISIS in Syria. the recent crackdown, which began in July, has bul. Turkish law-enforcement authorities are also no precedent, Politico said.

(s© 10/08/2019 Opinion: Take Turkey's threats to invade Syria seriously

Turkish invasion of Syria appears to be im­ economy at the beginning of the year, Turkish could come face-to-face in combat. However, if US minent. But a new military offensive could President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suddenly held his troops do not fight alongside the Kurds, the Kurds have self-destructive consequences for tongue. These days, however, Washington is not could then call upon Bashar Assad's forces to help ARecep Tayyip Erdogan's government, writes jourdiscussing­ the possibility of imposing sanctions in — a move that would give the Syrian regime a nalist Rainer Hermann. response to Turkey purchasing the Russian S-400 chance to regain another lost region of its territory. air defense system. Once again, Erdogan played As a result, Washington would have to surrender Turkey is not a country that lets threats go unan­ his cards well: By brandishing his sword to invade its bases in the Kurdish region, and Turkey would swered. Twice already, Ankara has followed Syria, he is increasing pressure on the US in the confront Assad again on the other side of the bor­ through after announcing plans to invade hope of preventing another showdown. der. In the meantime, the "Islamic State" militants Syria. The first was with operation "Euphrates could utilize the power vacuum to regain strength. Shield" from August 2016 to March 2017, and then On the homefront, conditions for the president are another offensive, "Olive Branch," in the first favorable. Following his party's setback in munic­ quarter of 2018. Since then, Turkey has controlled ipal elections, Erdogan needs a common purpose Everyone at odds 2% of Syrian territory. to reunite the nation behind him. The conflict with The strategists in Ankara are clever enough to un­ the Kurds reliably serves this purpose. Since Tur­ derstand both scenarios: They are, therefore, hop­ Intoxicated by its success, Turkey now wants to ex­ key killed a top cadre of the Kurdistan Workers' ing that maximum pressure will force the United tend its control considerably to the eastern part of Party (PKK) on June 27 — followed by the PKK's States into agreeing to a much broader and deeper northern Syria with a third invasion. When the retaliatory slaying of a Turkish diplomat in north­ buffer zone than the present one. In such a buffer four-day Islamic holiday Eid al-Adha, the feast of ern Iraq on July 21 — the old Kurdish conflict has zone, however, the Kurds will be unable to call any sacrifice, comes to an end, the operation could get also flared up again. On top of that, resentment of the shots. But Syrian Kurds have made it clear underway east of the Euphrates River. The military against Syrian refugees among the Turkish pop­ that they will not bow down to Ankara, nor will preparations along the border seem to be com­ ulation is mounting. To this end, Erdogan can jus­ they give up the gains made by their autonomous plete, and the conditions also seem favorable. tify an operation by way of clearing space for their government. return to northern Syria. Nobody to hold Turkey back The parties in play are pitted against each other. In When it comes to international politics, no one is A third Turkish offensive in Syria, however, could the eighth year of the Syrian war, a new wave of willing to get in Turkey's way. After US President very well lead to one of two self-destructive sce­ violence could be on the doorstep. History teaches Donald Trump threatened to "devastate" Turkey's narios: Turkish and Kurdish-allied US soldiers us that Turkey's threats must be taken seriously.

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lACROIX 11/08/2019

En Iran, la population entre pressions et répression Analyse Dans un contexte de tension croissante dans la région du golfe persique, les autorités iraniennes resserrent l'étau sur la société ci­ vile.

Celle-ci est asphyxiée économi­ quement par les sanctions améri­ caines.

« Je ne crois plus, depuis longtemps, un mot de ce que les autorités racontent ». La voix teintée de lassitude, Mona (1), étu­ diante fraîchement sortie de l'université de Téhéran, ne décolère pas en évoquant le discours politique dominant dans la Répu­ blique islamique. « J'ai aussi arrêté de lire la presse internationale, parce qu'elle nous oublie trop souvent dans l'équation géo­ politique. On se sent un peu abandonnés Désabusés, les iraniens ne sont pourtant pas prêts à se rebeller contre le régime. Wana par tout le monde », poursuit-elle, alors News Agency/Reuters que les tensions dans la région du golfe Persique s'accroissent sous la pression Raissi, ajoute cet interlocuteur. Ce sont des qui sévit depuis le retour de l'embargo américaine. gens prêts à partir au combat, mobilisables américain, les Iraniens sont sommés de se en une semaine si besoin... ». ranger derrière « l'unité nationale ». « Cer­ « Globalement, les Iraniens ne se recon­ tains estiment aujourd'hui faire les frais de naissent pas dans le discours de leur classe Contrairement au vœu de quelques res­ la paranoïa du régime : menacé à l'exté­ dirigeante, et ne cautionnent pas sa poli­ ponsables américains, la population n'est rieur, celui-ci est plus sévère vis-à-vis de tique agressive actuelle »,commente la po­ pas prête non plus à se rebeller contre le toute personne susceptible d'incarner une litologue Mahnaz Shirali, directrice régime. « Les Gardiens de la Révolution, menace sécuritaire intérieure », poursuit d'étude à l'Institut catholique de Paris l'armée idéologique des autorités, sont ex­ Mona. Les opposants se retrouvent par (ICP) et auteure de La Jeunesse iranienne : trêmement puissants et balaient toutes exemple davantage accusés d'être à la une génération en crise (2).Ces dernières prémices de contestation populaire », af­ solde des Américains. semaines, certains officiels iraniens n'ont firme Mahnaz Shirali. en effet pas hésité à brandir la menace de Fin juillet, Téhéran a annoncé avoir arrêté, guerre, invoquant l'appel du guide su­ « Extrêmement résiliente, la société ne entre mars 2018 et mars 2019, dix-sept Ira­ prême, l'ayatollah Ali Khamenei, à mettre croit plus ni dans les conservateurs ni dans niens dans le cadre du démantèlement en œuvre « l'ordre militaire ». les réformateurs », décrypte de son côté le d'un « réseau d'espions » de l'Agence cen­ spécialiste Clément Therme, chercheur au trale du renseignement américain (CIA). Résilience Centre de recherches internationales Ces derniers ont été condamnés à mort. Comment la population perçoit-elle ce (Ceri) de Sciences-Po Paris.« Les autorités risque d'une escalade armée ? « La majo­ tentent de se présenter comme les défen­ « Le ton se durcit, comme en témoigne ce rité des Iraniens ne prend pas vraiment au seurs de la sécurité nationale, en présen­ type d'acte répressif diligenté contre la so­ sérieux, à ce stade, le risque d'un affronte­ tant cette ''priorité'' comme incompatible ciété. L'ambiance policière se fait plus forte ment militaire », tempère un quadragé­ avec les enjeux de développement écono­ dans le pays, tandis que l'espace de liberté naire téhéranais. Toutefois, si ce scénario se mique du pays. Or ce n'est pas une alter­ d'expression s'y rétrécit », conclut Mahnaz dessinait, les autorités n'auraient pas be­ native. » Shirali. À ses yeux, les dirigeants de la Ré­ soin d'en faire beaucoup pour rassembler publique Islamique sont maintenant en des soldats. « À l'élection présidentielle de « Guerre sur deux fronts » guerre sur deux fronts : international, et 2017, seize millions d'électeurs ont voté Esseulés sur la scène internationale, national. pour le candidat conservateur Ebrahim éprouvés par la violente inflation des prix

45 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti 11 août 2019 LE'FIGARO Par Minoui, Delphine En Turquie, Ocalan se dit prêt à mettre fin au conflit Le chef historique de l'insurrection kurde, détenu depuis 1999, pourrait renoncer à ses revendications séparatistes sous conditions. TURQUIE Un nouveau processus de paix est- Coordonner la création d'une « zone de il en gestation ? Le chef historique de la rébellion sécurité » kurde, Abdullah Ocalan, a ouvert une nouvelle fenêtre d'espoir, ce jeudi, dans la guerre oppo­ Le « deal » scellé mercredi dernier au terme d'in­ sant le PKK à Ankara, en annonçant être prêt à tenses discussions assorties de menaces d'offen­ trouver une solution avec les autorités turques sive turque contre les milices kurdes de Syrie sur la question kurde. « J'essaie d'ouvrir un es­ (alliées des États-Unis et considérées comme pace pour les Kurdes, a-t-il affirmé dans une dé­ « terroristes » par Ankara) vise à établir un « cen­ claration relayée par ses avocats. Je veux dire tre d'opérations conjointes » pour coordonner la que je peux mettre fin à ce conflit (...) en une création d'une « zone de sécurité » dans le nord semaine. Je peux le régler, j'ai confiance en de la Syrie. Ces dernières années, le président moi. » Erdogan n'avait cessé d'appeler de ses vœux l'établissement d'une zone tampon pour mainte­ Fondateur du PKK, le Parti des travailleurs du Le fondateur du PKK, Abdullah Ocalan (ici en 1998, nir à distance les combattants kurdes de Syrie et Kurdistan, à l'origine d'une insurrection sépara­ à Rome), est emprisonné depuis 1999 par les forces empêcher la création d'un mini-État kurde à sa tiste dans le sud-est de la Turquie en 1984, Oca- spéciales turques. frontière. lan est emprisonné sur l'île d'Imrali, au large d'Istanbul, depuis 1999, année de sa capture au de détention à ne pas mettre leur vie en danger. Si la déclaration d'Abdullah Ocalan est inédite, Kenya par les forces spéciales turques. En 2013, Loin d'être anodin, ce geste de clémence d'An­ elle n'en est pas moins assortie de conditions. il avait participé, à distance, au lancement du kara était survenu en pleine période électorale. « Je suis prêt pour une solution. Mais l'État (. processus de paix dans ce conflit qui a fait plus Il répondait, de l'avis des experts, aux tentatives ) doit faire le nécessaire », précise-t-il dans son de 40 000 morts. Mais le cessez-le-feu avait volé du parti au pouvoir, l'AKP, de regagner des voix message, qui a également été relayé sur les ré­ en éclats en 2015, sur fond de guerre en Syrie et parmi les Kurdes d'Istanbul à l'approche de seaux sociaux. Une façon, estiment les observa­ de nouvelles revendications indépendantistes des l'élection municipale du 23 juin (après l'annula­ teurs, d'insinuer que les Kurdes sont prêts à Kurdes de Turquie, inspirés par leurs « frères » tion du scrutin remporté, fin mars, par l'opposi­ renoncer à un État séparé s'ils peuvent trouver d'à côté. tion). leur place au sein de la Turquie. « C'est un mes­ sage fort. D'une part, Ocalan sous-entend qu'il Au mois de mai dernier, les autorités turques ont, Cette fois-ci, c'est sur fond de négociations a la faculté de faire cesser le conflit armé dans les premières, créé la surprise en levant l'inter­ turco-américaines sur le devenir des Kurdes du le Sud-Est turc. D'autre part, il garantit au pou­ diction de rendre visite à Ocalan - en vigueur de­ Nord-Est syrien qu'est relayé le nouveau mes­ voir turc que le PKK ne va pas se battre pour la puis 2011 - et en permettant à ses avocats de le sage d'Abdullah Ocalan - le premier depuis le création d'un État indépendant, à condition, ce­ voir pour la première fois en huit ans. Une occa­ scrutin turc de fin juin. « Ce n'est pas une coïn­ pendant, d'obtenir en contrepartie une reconnais­ sion inédite pour le leader kurde de relayer un cidence si Ocalan s'exprime juste après l'accord sance légale et un cadre qui respecte leurs message dans lequel il appela les centaines de américano-turc. Ces deux événements semblent droits », analyse Mesut Yegen. D. M. (à istan­ personnes alors en grève de la faim dans les pri­ profondément liés », estime le sociologue Mesut bul) sons turques pour protester contre ses conditions Yegen, spécialiste de la question kurde.

By Deniz Tekin Aug Ahval 13 2019 2019 Security force vehicles killing civilians with impunity in southeast Turkey

urkish authorities are turning a blind Turkey has not documented any efforts to A preliminary report on the first accident eye to a rising number of accidental prevent further deaths. Armoured vehicle said the cause had been a flat tyre on the ar­ deaths caused by armoured vehicles drivers get off scot-free or with minimal sen­ moured vehicle. The vehicle's driver, Bu- Tin Kurdish-majority regions, leaving grietences­ that are often deferred, while grie­ rhan Kolbaçi, was detained, then ving families with little chance of finding ving loved ones, rather than receiving immediately released after giving a deposi­ justice. justice, can face a bill from the state for ve­ tion. hicular damages. A report by the non-governmental Human A gendarmerie report found Kolbaçi fully to Rights Association's (IHD) Diyarbakir chap­ On June 19, 2017, three civilians, including blame for the crash, but another by the An­ ter found that 36 civilians, including 16 10-year-old Zilan Yamankiliç, lost their lives kara Forensics Institute stated the cause as under 18 years of age, were killed by armou­ when a police armoured vehicle crashed a flat tyre. An expert at Istanbul Technical red vehicles in Turkey's Kurdish-majority into their bus in Diyarbakir. Driving home University wrote a third report, saying the eastern and south-eastern regions from 2008 from her memorial service a few days later, sharp object that had caused the flat tyre to 2018, while 85 people were injured. Just five members of Zilan's extended family lost had been to blame for the accident, not the in the past three years in Diyarbakir, 12 ci­ their lives in another crash, marking the hi­ police officer. vilians, including two children, were killed ghest death toll in a single accident invol­ by armoured vehicles. ving an armoured vehicle. Based on the latter two reports, the

46 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti

Turkish military vehicle is surrounded by security forces after it hit and killed a local woman in an accident in the Kurdish-dominated southeastern city of Diyarbakir, Turkey April 27, 2016. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar

Diyarbakir court dismissed the Yamankiliç Lice's chief public prosecutor still charged for the case, saying the court had unfairly family's case against the governorate and the officer with five counts of manslaughter. rejected submissions made by the family. He ordered them to pay court expenses. That But the charges were dismissed in said the lack of evidence gathered initially case is currently at an appeals court. Diyarbakir and the case was thrown out, as meant it was vital for the scene of the acci­ expert reports said Ipek was not respon­ dent to be re-examined again, and that the Two years later, Diyarbakir's chief prosecu­ sible, putting the full blame for the crash on armoured vehicle's hard disks must be re­ tor defied expectations and charged the dri­ the deceased Demirbaç. viewed to recover any data that could shed ver with multiple counts of manslaughter. light on what happened. Kolbaçi faces up to 15 years in prison. Then Diyarbakir police sent a notice to Demirbaç's heirs demanding 250,000 euros Regardless of the exact circumstances of the The security forces' driver in the second ac­ for damage to the 350,000-euro vehicle. accident that killed Demirbaç, the armoured cident, in which a Cobra-type armoured ve­ vehicles should not be cruising Turkish hicle crashed into a car returning from “They killed my husband, now they send roads in the first place, said Human Rights Zilan's memorial service, killing five people, me the invoice. Who would accept that?” Foundation of Turkey (TIHV)'s Diyarbakir was released from custody in less time than said Fikri Demirbaç's wife of 38 years, Ha- representative, Baris Yavuz. it took to remove bodies from the wreckage. lime Demirbaç, who with her eight children has fallen on hard times since her husband's The armoured vehicles are made for opera­ The gendarmerie report said the civilian dri­ death. tions, not regular driving in urban traffic as ver of the car, Fikri Demirbaç, had primarily visibility is low due to their cabin designs, been at fault for crossing lanes, while the AV The family has not paid, and has been war­ according to the lawyer. Additionally, dri­ driver, Officer Nuh Ipek, was partially at ned they will face trial as a result. Halime vers often lack the proper training to safely fault for speeding. The report discounted said she believes the camera on the vehicle drive among regular traffic, he said. the tyre tracks from the armoured vehicle was recording during the accident, but the that were found in the civilian car's lane. footage has been concealed. These incidents are reported as regular traf­ Onboard cameras were not recording at the fic accidents, but more extensive statistics time of the accident due to a malfunction, The Demirbaç family's lawyer, Velat Boz- should be kept for vehicle specifications, the gendarmerie said. han, believes the family has been denied driving conditions and drivers' training le­ due process, from the forensics reports on­ vels for specific vehicles, he added. The Ankara Forensics Institute returned ward. with another report, saying Officer Ipek was “If armoured vehicles are treated like ordi­ absolutely not to blame for the crash, dra­ “If there was video (of the crash), we could nary cars, then this beast of a machine is left wing an objection from the family's lawyer. have seen what happened,” he said. ”[Wi- at no fault at all, and that creates impunity. This brought the case to the forensics ins­ thout it], it is nearly impossible to state fault The drivers turn malicious as they unders­ titute in Istanbul, which issued a similar re­ with either party with any certainty.” tand they won't face consequences,” Yavuz port. said. Bozhan criticised the collection of evidence

47 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti

National August 13,2019 INTEREST By Michael Rubin Editorial Staff The Dark Side of Turkey's Intelligence Community

ast week the U.S. Embassy in Turkey re­ the PKK and TAK are interchangeable, any more leased a statement that said Washington had than other terrorist spoilers seeking to undercut rec­ reached an agreement to implement “initial onciliation over the years. Lmeasures to address Turkey's security concerns” and to establish a “peace corridor” inside Kurdish- Within the U.S. context, the question is not only controlled portions of Syria. The agreement aims to whether there is any evidence independent of Turk­ diffuse a crisis which saw the Turkish military mo­ ish government sources to back claims that the bilize along the Syrian border and threaten to oc­ PKK is a terrorist organization, but also whether cupy northern Syria, ostensibly to fight terrorism. leading Kurdish officials are criminals. Consider, The details of the agreement have not been made for example, the case ofAdem Uzun, an executive public. council member of the Kurdistan National Con­ gress (KCK) and a leading Kurdish intellectual and Turkish officials have long complained that the political activist, whose 2012 arrest in Paris sparked U.S. partnership with Syrian Kurds is a betrayal of the Belgian lawsuit, which ultimately overturned decades of U.S.-Turkey partnership. The People's the PKK terror designation. In 2011, at a time when Protection Units (YPG) and associated militias, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar (L) and President Barack Obama still considered Erdogan Turkish diplomats argue, are affiliated with the the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, US Air to be one of his “most trusted” foreign friends, the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK), a U.S.-designated Force General Tod Wolters, Brussels, Belgium, U.S. Treasury Department named Uzun and several terror group. Turkish authorities have repeatedly June 26, 2019. Photo: Reuters colleagues as “Specially Designated Narcotics Traf­ told their American counterparts that “you can't ficking Kingpins.” The Erdogan government cele­ fight one terrorist group with another.” tice Department concluded documents Turkey pro­ brated. But, while such designation paralyzes any vided were often deeply flawed if not fraudulent. ability for U.S. officials to discuss, debate, or inter­ It is true that there are links between the PKK and Alas, such poor intelligence has become the rule act with leading Kurdish activists, there is no indi­ YPG, though the two are not interchangeable. It is rather than the exception under the Erdogan regime. cation that the information supporting the also true that the PKK is a U.S.-designated terrorist In the years leading up to the abortive July 2016 designation provided to the United States by Turkey group, but Turkish authorities are dead wrong to coup, Erdogan presided over multiple purges of po­ is based on reality. suggest equivalency between the YPG in Syria and litical opponents based upon evidence which even the Islamic State. Indeed, the Turkish insistence is Turkish courts later deemed fraudulent. After I first Simply put, Turkey and its National Intelligence ironic given that the United States only began part­ criticized corruption and financial opacity in Turkey Organization (MIT) appear to abuse the intelligence nering with the YPG when evidence became over­ fifteen years ago and then, drawing upon a wide and diplomatic process by seeking to insert flawed whelming that Turkey's political range of sources and contacts, successfully and false intelligence in order to constrain and sub­ leadership—including President Recep Tayyip predicted a coup, Erdogan deemed that I, too, was vert U.S. diplomatic options. Rather than blindly Erdogan’s own family—and intelligence services a terrorist and a business ally issued a bounty for accept Turkey’s accusations against the YPG, PKK, actively supported and profited from the Islamic my capture. and top Kurdish intellectuals and activists, it is time State and otherAl Qaeda-affiliated groupsin Syria. the United States intelligence community audit That Turkish intelligence is based more on political every piece of intelligence that Turkey has provided The problems with Turkish arguments are multi­ expediency and wishful thinking than professional over the past several decades to ensure that U.S. in­ fold. First, there is no evidence that the YPG or tradecraft is clear. The question for U.S. policy­ telligence remains apolitical and uncorrupt and that PKK plot or direct terror operations from Syria. makers, then, becomes how long has Turkish intel­ Turkey does not abuse intelligence cooperation to This accusation was the stated reason behind Tur­ ligence been so corrupt? Long before today’s interfere in U.S. diplomacy and policy formations. key’s launch in January 2018 of Operation Olive diplomatic crises, the Central Intelligence Agency Branch but, twenty months later, it is clear the op­ and the State Department have relied upon and in­ Perhaps such an audit will find that the conclusions eration was more about ethnically cleansing the re­ tegrated Turkish intelligence. now embraced by the Central Intelligence Agency gion’s Kurdish population than eradicating and State Department are warranted. More likely, terrorism. Underlying both Turkish bad faith has Consider the PKK: The U.S. State Department des­ however, given the exposure of recent Turkish dos­ been Turkey’s willingness to welcome several ignated the group in 1997, against the backdrop of siers as fraudulent, it will become clear that a major dozen Islamic State fighters into Turkey’s own mi­ Clinton administration efforts to finalize a large reassessment is warranted in Washington. Either litias now operating in Afrin. Most American offi- arms sale to Turkey. As Aliza Marcus shows in her way, as the Trump administration and its Special cials—as well as a growing array of European and seminal history of the PKK, Blood and Belief, while Envoy on Syria James Jeffrey make life-and-death Arab diplomats—understand that Turkey misuses the PKK engaged in violence and perhaps terrorism decisions that could impact the region for decades, the terrorism label as a political weapon against op­ in the early years of its campaign, its insurgency no official should put the diplomatic nicety of tak­ ponents. had matured by the late 1990s. Turkish president ing Turkey at its word above a fundamental quest Turgut Ozal was even planning serious negotiations for truth. Spurious Turkish accusations against the YPG are with the group prior to his fatal 1993 heart attack. only the tip of the iceberg. Erdogan has accused Twenty years on, it is not clear whether such terror rival politicians both from the predominantly Kurd­ designation fits the PKK. Indeed, earlier this year, Michael Rubin is a former Pentagon official ish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) and the a Belgian court ruled that the PKK and its civil so­ whose major research areas are the Middle East, center-left Republican People’s Party (CHP) of sup­ ciety affiliates are not a terrorist organization. That Turkey, Iran and diplomacy. He is author of porting terrorism, imprisoning many. He has also ruling marks the latest in a string of Turkish losses “Dancing with the Devil: The Perils of Engaging accused the followers of his one-time ally, Penn­ when European courts examine the evidence behind Rogue Regimes” (Encounter, 2014). He is a resi­ sylvania-based cleric Fethullah Gülen, of being ter­ the PKK’s terrorist label. This is not to say there has dent scholar at the American Enterprise Institute rorists, imprisoning tens of thousands while not been Kurdish terrorism perpetrated against Tur- AEI. His major research area is the Middle East, with special focus on Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Kur­ somehow ignoring his own role in Gülen’s empow­ key—the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) has launched attacks inside Turkey, but there is no ev­ dish society. Read more by Michael Rubin. erment. Yet, the thousands of documents he turned The article first published at American Enterprise idence these were organized in either Syria or the over to U.S. authorities to win their support for Institute. Gülen’s extradition provided no proof; the U.S. Jus- PKK stronghold on Qandil mountain in Iraq, or that

48 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti

National w , INTEREST Gonul Toi - Joseph Votel A Syria Safe Zone Will Create More Problems Than It Solves The United States and Turkey have agreed on a way forward that may marginalize Kurdish forces.

fter months of stalemate, Turkey and the permanent forces in the area and work closely United States have agreed to establish a with the U.S.-led coalition on combined patrols, joint operations center to coordinate ef­ surveillance, and jointly manned checkpoints at Aforts to carve out a safe zone stretching more critical locations on the border. than 250 miles along Syria's northeastern border with Turkey. Much of the region is controlled by The United States and the coalition must continue the Syrian Kurdish militia that Turkey considers to exert their influence and be the trusted partner to be a terrorist organization, but which played a that ensures the interests of the various parties are key role in the U.S.-led fight against ISIS. In the observed. There are myriad issues that will have to last few years, Turkey launched two military in­ be addressed (including the necessary return of ref­ cursions into the area to drive back the Kurdish ugees currently in Turkey) —and they can be— but People's Protection Units (YPG) forces from the we must first have an agreed security mechanism border and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Er­ Image: Reuters in place. We have this in Manbij and in the southern dogan said a third incursion into YPG-controlled Syrian enclave of Al Tanf, where the coalition northeastern Syria, where hundreds of U.S. worked with Russia to ensure the safe delivery of against ISIS. Their presence promotes stability troops are stationed, was imminent. With the re­ humanitarian aid to refugee camps. None of these and the return of local governance, which is key cent deal, a major point of contention between models are perfect, but they are working and cre­ to prevent the resurgence of ISIS, and their con­ the United States and Turkey seems to be soften­ ating a more stable and secure environment that trol of the area shuts down facilitation, move­ ing. Down the road, however, disagreements will will give diplomacy a chance to pursue longer-term ment, and resources that ISIS requires to achieve flare up. For any deal in northeastern Syria to political solutions. its objectives. Implementing a safe zone that work, it has to provide a sustainable solution to would drive Kurdish forces out would likely dis­ U.S. and Turkish security interests and address But the ideal solution to the security dilemma of all rupt those efforts. Kurdish concerns. The current agreement fails on parties involved is for Turkey to resolve its domestic all counts. Kurdish problem peacefully. While conditions in Turkey has a well-established and widely recog­ Turkey might not be ripe for that at present given nized interest in ensuring that areas along its bor­ Although the announcement by the two coun­ Erdogan's electoral vulnerability and reliance on the der cannot be used as a platform to attack tries left out key details, including who would nationalists, the United States must remain diplo­ Turkish citizens. Ankara claims that the presence control the zone and how deep into Syrian terri­ matically engaged to encourage a peaceful solu­ of Kurdish forces in this area poses a security tory it would extend, Turkey's Minister of De­ tion. threat to Turkey. While there continue to be some fense Hulusi Akar said the United States is incidents along the border, these are low level getting closer to Turkey's views on the safe zone. Gonül Tol is the founding director of The Middle and low impact, and there is no evidence to sug­ Turkey has long pushed for at least a twenty- East Institute's Center for Turkish Studies. She is gest the area is being used as a platform to attack also an adjunct professor at the George Washington mile-deep zone that would be off limits to YPG Turkey. When combined with a small coalition University's Institute for Middle East Studies. A forces and expressed a preference to control it presence, the United States is able to heavily in­ former adjunct professor at the College of Inter­ alone. If those are indeed the parameters of the fluence the Kurdish forces, and by extension help national Security Affairs at the National Defense proposed zone, it will create more problems for University, she has taught courses on Islamist move­ assure the security of the Turkish border areas. all parties involved. ments in Western Europe, Turkey, world politics, and the Middle East, and has written extensively on The people of northeast Syria have interests as Safe zones are generally established to protect Turkey-U.S. relations, Turkish domestic politics, for­ well, such as recovery from years of conflict, pro­ people in conflict zones and are usually designed eign policy and the Kurdish issue. tection from attacks, and an opportunity to live to be neutral, demilitarized, and focused on hu­ in peace. Displacing the Kurdish population will Gen. Joseph Votel manitarian purposes. Imposing a twenty-mile- served as commander of U.S. not only deny them these rights, but also create Central Command (CENTCOM) from March 2016 deep safe zone east of the Euphrates would have further conflict. to March 2019. As commander of CENTCOM, Votel the opposite effect—likely displacing more than oversaw military operations across the region, in­ 90 percent of the Syrian Kurdish population, ex­ cluding the campaign against the Islamic State in What is needed is not a safe zone, but rather a acerbating what is already an extremely chal­ Iraq and Syria. Before CENTCOM, he was the com­ sustainable security mechanism that addresses lenging humanitarian situation, and creating an mander of the U.S. Special Operations Command the specific concerns of all the parties involved environment for increased conflict that would re­ (SOCOM) and the Joint Special Operations Com­ and creates a structure that monitors and controls quire an extended deployment of military forces. mand (JSOC). He was the commander of the 75th security operations while also facilitating com­ Ranger Regiment when they deployed to Afghani­ munication among all sides. It will not be perfect, stan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003. While assigned to the The proposed safe zone will hurt U.S. interests as and no one will be completely satisfied with the Pentagon, he organized the original IED Task Force well. The United States has been trying to pre­ arrangement, but this is the only viable way for­ that eventually grew into the Joint Improvised- vent the resurgence of ISIS, protect those who ward. This arrangement must include accommo­ Threat Defeat Organization (JIDO). He has extensive fought it alongside the Global Coalition, and operational experience across the Middle East, Le­ dations by the Kurdish forces to allow vulnerable thwart Iranian efforts to use the area to propagate vant, Central and South Asia, Northern Africa, and areas to be jointly patrolled, the removal of heavy its sectarian activities and directly threaten the Horn of Africa. General Votel will be joining the weapons to safe distances away from the border, others. The U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces are Middle East Institute (MEI) on July 1 as a non-res­ and the dismantling of security positions along the most effective fighting element in Syria ident Distinguished Senior Fellow on National Se­ the border. Turkey must refrain from insisting on curity.

49 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti

R 4M S 13/08/2019 Au nord de la Syrie, des agriculteurs kurdes dépossédés par la Turquie

Les attaques permanentes de l'armée turque de Abdullah possède 20 hec­ l'autre côté du mur construit par la Turquie tout tares de terres le long de la au long de sa frontière de 600 km avec la Syrie, frontière. Voilà 4 ans qu'il empêchent les agriculteurs du Rojava d'accéder n'a pas pu les cultiver. à leurs terres situées à proximité du mur. À ce jour, de nombreux agriculteurs ont été blessés « Les soldats turcs ouvrent par les tirs des militaires en poste le long de la le feu sur tout le monde, y frontière. Plusieurs ont perdu la vie. En dernier compris les enfants », peste lieu, le 30 juillet, un adolescent du nom de Meher Ali avant d'ajouter : « Ils Hesen a été touché à la tête par un tir de l'armée lancent des boules de feu turque, dans un village de Kobanê. Il est décédé depuis les blocs de béton trois jours plus tard. près de la frontière pour in­ cendier les terres cultivées Dans le district de Tirbê Spî, qui se trouve dans ». le canton de Qamislo, ce sont des dizaines de ki­ 2500 hectares de terres lomètres de terres dont l'accès est de fait interdit A Tirbê Spî (Al Darbasiyah), un agriculteur dont les champs sont situés non exploitées par l'armée turque. Outre les agriculteurs, les le long de la frontière turque, n'a pas cultivé ses terres depuis quatre bergers de la région sont également concernés Selon Kemiran Umer, Co­ ans, en raison des tirs indiscriminés de l'armée turque. par cet empiètement de la Turquie sur le territoire président du Conseil des syrien. Les propriétaires des terres accusent par de planter ses champs depuis des années. « Les agriculteurs de Tirbê Spî, ailleurs l'armée turque d'incendier leurs champs. soldats turcs ouvrent le feu sur tous les villageois l'armée turque empêche l'exploitation de 2500 qui s'approchent de leurs champs, dit-il. Aupa­ hectares de terres. Cinq pour cent des terres agri­ ravant, je ne pouvais cultiver que la moitié de coles de la région sont situées le long de la fron­ « Ils ouvrent le feu sur les enfants » mes terres, c'était mon gagne-pain. Aujourd'hui, tière et ne peuvent être cultivées. Xelil Abdullah, 50 ans, dit ne pas être en mesure je n'ai plus rien. »

August 13, 2019 By INU Staff Kurdish Porters Continue to Be Killed and Injured by Regime Agents

INU - The Iranian regime has been targeting means that the regime will carry out shootings religious and ethnic minorities for many years. on porters with impunity. No legal implications It has been reported that in the past few weeks, affect those that carry out such atrocities. a number of Kurdish porters have been killed or injured by regime agents. Being a porter is a physically tough and deman­ ding job. It is not a desirable profession, but Sources concerned with human rights have said many fall into it because they have very little that porters have been fired at by agents of the choice because of social factors. In the province notorious Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Kurdistan, the unemployment rate has rea­ (IRGC). A number of porters have been killed ched 40 per cent in some areas for the young and dozens have been injured. people. Instead of willingly working as a porter, it is seen as an obligation for many. It is a pro­ Reports say that state security forces killed a fession that is concentrated across many areas young man identified as Reza Ebrahimi. Ano­ Over the past few years, many porters have on the Iranian border with Turkey. ther porter was injured in the same incident. On been killed or injured by the regime's suppres­ another occasion, border patrol agents in the sive forces. As well as being deliberately targe­ In its annual report on the human rights situa­ city of Sardasht in the western part of the coun­ ted by violent agents, the people that work as tions in Iran, Amnesty International expressed try shot and injured a young porter. The rela­ porters are also at risk because of a number of its deep concern about the discrimination that tives and friends of this victim identified as other factors. Some porters have died after step­ ethnic minorities face. It said that the organisa­ Younes Pirooti took him to the hospital for me­ ping on landmines that are still around since tion is worried about the unlawful killing of tens dical attention. He lives in a village close to the the Iran-Iraq war of the eighties. There are also of Kurdish kulbars (porters) over the course of city of Sardasht. the risk factors that come from working in the the year 2018. In a nearby area - Khoy district - a group of mountains, such as extreme weather, falling porters were targeted by IRGC and border pa­ rocks, uneven terrain, and so on. The regime's treatment of these porters is just trol agents. A young man named Naji Abu- one more example of its blatant disregard of Bakri was severely injured when a bullet went The Iranian regime has tried to justify its killing human rights. through a massive artery on his thigh. He lost a of porters. Officials have said that the porters huge amount of blood and had to be taken to a are effectively smugglers and should be treated hospital in Urmia - a nearby city. as such. Unfortunately for the porters, this

50 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti turkey purge Aug. 14, 2019 Turkish gov't removes 2 more elected pro-Kurdish mayors on terror charges, bringing total to 8

Medeni Ozer, the co-mayor of Edremit dis­ trict of Van province, and Faruk Demir, the co-mayor of Çaldiran district have been re­ moved from their positions for having “links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK),” according to the GazeteKarinca news portal. They have been replaced with state-ap­ pointed trustees. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) government has been removing local mayors, particularly in the Kurdish-pop­ ulated southeastern region, especially since a coup attempt on July 15, 2016. Tens of elected Kurdish mayors were replaced by government appointees.

The Turkish government has suspended bringing the tally of suspended HDP offi­ pro-Kurdish mayors for Turkey's Çaldiran cials elected in March to eight mayors and and Edremit districts over the weekend, 56 municipal assembly members.

14/08/2019 Ahval By Paul Iddon Could Turkey use Syria safe zone to remake the area's demographics?

urkey's track record in Syria suggests Democratic Forces (SDF), largely made up human rights violations, including the dis­ it might use a U.S.-backed safe zone of YPG fighters, to help it defeat Islamic placement of more than 100,000 native Afrin planned for Kurdish-majority north­ State (ISIS) in Syria. But Turkey and the Kurds. Teastern Syria to fundamentally reshape theUnited States last week agreed to establish region's demographic makeup, though a joint operations centre to oversee a safe Turkey also oversaw the resettlement of dis­ Washington would likely stand in its way. zone in Syria. Details of the deal have not placed Arabs from elsewhere in Syria in va­ been revealed, but most observers believe cated Kurdish homes. It has even given Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan differences remain over safe zone size and them residence permits to stay in the region. has for months threatened to launch a cross­ which troops would patrol it. By doing so, it is creating new demographic border military operation to drive out the facts on the ground in a region that has his­ People's Protection Units (YPG) from the Turkey's previous cross-border offensives torically been overwhelmingly Kurdish. area, saying the Syrian Kurdish force is an suggest the zone would be less than safe for extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party many of its present, mainly Kurdish, inhab­ (PKK) that has been fighting for self-rule in itants. After Turkey seized the northwestern Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast for more Syrian Kurdish district of Afrin in early The main regions of Syrian Kurdistan are than three decades. 2018, its Syrian militia proxies, the Free Syr­ situated east of the River Euphrates. After ian Army, looted houses in broad daylight. the Aug. 7 preliminary agreement between Turkey's offensive into northeast Syria has Turkey and the United States to create a safe so far been blocked by the United States, Throughout the ongoing occupation, Turkey zone in that area, the U.S. embassy in Ank­ which armed, trained and backed the Syrian has done nothing to prevent documented ara said, “that the safe zone shall become a

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eastern Syria,” said Nicholas Heras, Middle East security fellow at the Center for a New American Security. “There was an air of des­ peration from the American side during these talks that has not existed before.”

His party's defeat in mayoral elections in Turkey's biggest city and financial capital Is­ tanbul shook the president, Heras said. Consequently, Erdogan views the Syria issue “as a cornucopia that he can use to sat­ isfy the Turkish body politic that he senses is turning against him”.

“The American team believed that Erdogan was going to invade, push out the SDF from a large swathe of the border, and nearly si­ multaneously move refugees into the void,” Heras said. “What is really bothering the peace corridor, and every effort shall be many Kurds were forcibly uprooted and American side is a belief that there could made so that displaced Syrians can return their land resettled by some 4,000 Arab fam­ still be a moment when U.S. and other co­ to their country.” ilies. alition forces will need to fire on Turkish troops in order to protect the SDF.” “The term peace corridor refers to two dif­ Turkey may well see the safe zone as the ferent animals: for Turkey, it's the total elim­ first step to building a similar “Arab belt” Heras said there had been a quiet war be­ ination of PKK cadres in northern Syria; for along the border. The exact size and location tween the U.S. State Department that the U.S., it is a workable solution to make of the safe zone is not yet clear. Turkey wanted to give the Turks more room to op­ both Turkey and the YPG/PKK avoid clash­ wants a 20-mile deep zone spanning the en­ erate in SDF areas, and the U.S. military that ing,” Mustafa Gürbüz, a non-resident fellow tire border while the United States has sug­ was pushing back hard. at the Arab Center in Washington. “Unless gested a much smaller nine-mile deep zone. a paradigm shift occurs on either side, it is Turkey remains adamant that the zone “Neither the Turks nor the Americans have impossible to have a long-term safe-zone should be no less than 20-miles deep and agreed to much, except to keep talking,” he agreement.” says it will launch a unilateral military op­ said. “But that is a win for both the U.S. mil­ eration if it does not get what it wants. itary and the SDF, because the longer the Turkey frequently talks of its intention to Turks are kept at bay, the less likely Turkey send the majority of the 3.6 million Syrian A zone that size would include all of Syrian can pull off an invasion.” refugees back to their homeland. This could Kurdistan's major cities, many of which are mean resettling Syrian Arabs in Kurdish- close to the Turkish border, and would be Heras doubted the Turkish-backed Free Syr­ majority areas, as it has done in Afrin, so as unacceptable to the YPG and the multi-eth­ ian Army would be able to operate in any to destroy any contiguous Kurdish-majority nic SDF umbrella force. safe zone, noting that they had “no protec­ region on Turkey's border. tion whatsoever from coalition forces”. The United States may convince Turkey to Turkey plans to resettle some 700,000 Syrian instead settle for establishing the safe zone “U.S.-led coalition forces in northern and refugees in Kurdish-majority northeast around the Arab-majority border town of eastern Syria have almost no trust for Tur­ Syria following the safe zone's establish­ Tel Abyad, where resettled Syrian Arab ref­ key's Syrian rebel proxies,” he said. “If they ment. This is possibly part of a project to ugees may prove less contentious in Kurd- try to operate in SDF areas, they will be lessen the unpopular presence of Syrian ref­ ish-majority areas. shot.” ugees in Turkey and fundamentally change the demographics of northeast Syria in a “Kurds see Tel Abyad as a part of Syrian Syrian Kurds believe Turkey uses its Syrian similar fashion to the Syrian Baathist Arabi­ Kurdistan because it is one of the regions proxies in order to shield itself from charges sation drive of the 1960s and 1970s. That where the Arab belt project was imple­ of abuse, Çiviroglu said. He said he doubted plan sought to repopulate Kurdish-majority mented and the demographics there were the United States would permit Turkey to areas on the Syrian border with Arabs to changed decades ago,” said Mutlu alter the demographics of northeast Syria. separate Syria's Kurds from the Kurds of Çiviroglu, a Kurdish affairs analyst. Turkey and Iraq, where Kurdish national­ “I don't think the U.S. will accept this be­ ism was on the rise. It is unclear whether the United State will cause this is against international law and it be able to persuade Turkey to make signifi­ doesn't solve any problems,” he said. “Also The Syrian government planned to remove cant concessions. ethically, the U.S. will not accept such a Kurds from a zone along the Syrian border thing in my view because these are the with Turkey nine miles deep and 174 miles “The American team was convinced that people that have been fighting side-by-side wide. It never fully materialised, though Erdogan was going to invade northern and with the U.S. against

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□0H 14/08/2019

British-Iranian academic 'arrested in Iran'

A British-Iranian dual national has been ar­ rested in western Iran, according to his family.

The wife of Kameel Ahmady, a social anthro­ pologist, said he was taken into custody on Sunday from their home without a reason being given.

Mr Ahmady has researched female genital mu­ tilation and child marriage in Iran, among other subjects.

Another British dual national, Nazanin Zag- hari-Ratcliffe, has been in Iranian custody since 2016 over spying claims.

Earlier this year, the UK foreign office advised all dual nationals against all travel to Iran be­ cause of the risk of arbitrary detention.

The new alleged arrest comes as high tensions, caused by oil tankers seizures, continue be­ Kameel Ahmady's wife (right) said she has not been informed of charges against him tween the two countries.

• The uncertain fate of Iran's jailed dual na­ A spokesman for the Kurdistan Human Rights She said a local judicial official later confirmed tionals Network, who reported his arrest, said Mr a one-month temporary detention order had • What is Zaghari-Ratcliffe case about? Ahmady has lived in Iran for many years. been issued against Mr Ahmady. • British Council names employee jailed by Iran Officials in both countries are yet to confirm he "They have not provided any information about Professional websites in Mr Ahmady's name has been taken into custody. the reason for the arrest or the charges against identify him as "British-Iranian originally from Kameel," Ms Rahmani wrote on Instagram. Kurdistan". His LinkedIn profile says he stud­ In an interview with BBC Persian, his wife ied at a number of UK universities, including Shafaq Rahmani alleged security agents came Iran does not recognise dual nationality and the London School of Economics and Political to the couple's house and "took away doc­ there are no exact figures on the number of de­ Science (LSE). uments, including his ID card". tainees who are also foreign nationals.

Copyright © 2019, respective author or news agency, Ekurd.net | rudaw.net | bbc.com 14/08/2019 British-Iranian Kurdish academic Kameel Ahmady arrested in Tehran

TEHRAN,— Kameel Ahmady, a British-Kurd­ The arrest comes at a sensitive time in UK-Iran ish academic originally from the city of Maha- relations after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard bad in Iranian Kurdistan was arrested on Corp (IRGC) seized a British-flagged vessel in Sunday in Tehran, according to his wife the Strait of Hormuz July 19 in retaliation for and human rights activists. the detention of an Iranian vessel in the Strait of Gibraltar on July 4. Ahmady, a British-Iranian dual national and social anthropologist who studied at the Lon­ Another British-Iranian dual national, Nazanin don School of Economics (LSE), was taken by Zaghari-Ratcliffe, has been held by Iranian au­ security forces on August 10, his wife Shafaq thorities since 2016 accused of spying. Rahmani told the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN). Iran does not recognize dual citizenship and regularly accuses those with foreign ties of es­ KHRN said Ahmady's house and car were pionage. search repeatedly and some of his belongings confiscated. Rahmani told BBC Persian they British-Iranian Kurdish academic Kameel According to KHRN, Ahmady last year won took away some documents and Ahmady's ID Ahmady, 2019. Photo: Ahmady's FB the World Peace Foundation's Literature and card. Humanities Award at America's George Wash­ ington University for his research. He has reportedly been given a one-month de­ According to KHRN he had been living in the tention order and is being held at the notorious Iranian capital for several years. Copyright © 2019, respective author or news Evin Prison. agency, Ekurd.net | rudaw.net | bbc.com

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toosljînflton ÿost L^siy*14’2019 Captured ISIS fighters get short sentences and art therapy in Syria

QAMISHLI, Syria — At a closely guarded prison in this northeastern Syrian town, former Islamic State fighters make papier- mâché models of birds, flowers and trees while serving sentences that typically run two or three years.

Across the border in Iraq, Islamic State de­ tainees are being held in degrading condi­ tions, subjected to torture and often, when brought to trial, given long sentences or the death penalty, according to human rights groups.

The Syrian Kurdish allies of the United States are attempting a different approach. Their goal, Kurdish officials say, is to reha­ bilitate and reintegrate many of the Islamic State fighters in their custody, in hopes of deterring a revival of the militant move­ ment.

The Syrian Kurds' leftist ideology pre­ cludes the death penalty, and their few functioning courts issue light sentences for Detainees stand in a cell at the prison in Qamishli. The Syrian facility holds men accused of being Is­ fighters not found to have committed lamic State militants. (Alice Martins/For The Washington Post) major crimes. Hundreds more militants have simply been freed in deals with local them to turn away from the camera to pro­ community has shown little interest in Arab tribes whose cooperation the Kurds tect their identities. (Alice Martins/For The backing the plan, said Letta Tayler of New need to maintain. Washington Post) York-based Human Rights Watch. By acting with leniency, the Kurds hope to The United States and its allies vigorously Unlike Iraq, the Kurdish administration in break the cycle of revenge that has trapped prosecuted the military campaign that re­ Syria's northeast is not an internationally so much of the region in conflict for de­ sulted in the territorial defeat of the Isla­ recognized sovereign state and is moreo­ cades, said Khaled Barjas Ali, a senior mic State in March. They have put less ver closely affiliated to the Kurdistan Wor­ judge in the terrorism courts run by the effort into managing the aftermath of the kers' Party, or PKK, designated a terrorist self-proclaimed Kurdish administration in war, including what to do with the approxi­ organization by Turkey, the United States northeastern Syria. mately 90,000 Islamic State fighters and fa­ and Europe. That precludes many forms of mily members who survived the battles, he direct assistance that might imply recogni­ “If I sentence a man to death, I am sprea­ said. tion, diplomats say. ding hate. We want to give people reasons to trust us,” he said. “If you take revenge, “As soon as the kinetic fight was over, it's, The Kurds are keen to demonstrate that people will be radicalized. But with recon­ ‘Oh, ISIS is done,' and we walk away,” their judicial system is fair and meets in­ ciliation we are sure we can finish the pro­ Clarke said, using another name for the Is­ ternational standards, in the hope of recei­ blem.” lamic State. ving assistance, Tayler said. But trained legal staff are scarce, and the system ap­ It is an imperfect effort that is patchily en­ The Syrian Kurds have been left almost pears haphazard, at best. forced, inexpertly applied and acutely alone to accommodate, feed and guard the under-resourced. But it raises a question captives now being held in either prisons In the past five years, the three terrorism unanswered by the wider international or internment camps. Among the detai­ courts established by the Kurds have tried community despite nearly two decades of nees are 1,000 foreign fighters and 9,000 of some 1,500 cases, according to Hassan war against terrorism: Do harsh punish­ their wives and children from 46 countries, Hassan, an administrator at one of the ments work to deter extremism? only 14 of which have agreed to repatriate courts in the city of Qamishli. An additio­ citizens and mostly only children, accor­ nal 4,000 Syrian fighters are awaiting trial “It's the million-dollar question,” said ding to the Kurdish administration. — a backlog that will take 13 years to clear Colin Clarke, an expert in counterterro­ at the current pace. The Kurds are also hol­ rism and deradicalization with the nonpro­ [Months after the fall of ISIS, Europe has done ding 1,500 Iraqi fighters and 1,000 forei­ fit Soufan Center. “We still don't have a little to take back its fighters] gners whom they have no intention of good understanding of what works and bringing to court unless their proposal for what doesn't work. We don't have a large The Kurds are appealing for international an international tribunal is adopted, Has­ body of evidence to look back upon.” help and are promoting a proposal for a san said. U.N. tribunal to bring to justice the foreign Men accused of being Islamic State mili­ fighters they hold. But the international One recent trial held in a small side office tants stand in a cell. Prison officials asked

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at the Qamishli court seemed a makeshift affair. A 19-year-old defendant called Omar sat handcuffed on a chair in the middle of the room. Four people squeezed behind a desk, three of them judges, one the prosecutor. He read out the charge: that the accused had fought with the Isla­ mic State.

Omar had no defense lawyer. He said he was 15 when he joined the militants and did so only for the money. After a process that lasted seven minutes, he put his thumbprint on a copy of his statement and was led away. A sentence will be issued later, but convictions in such cases typi­ cally draw about two years, Hassan said.

Some, including members of the Arab tribes who allied with the Kurds against the militants, believe the Kurds are being too lenient, according to Hassan Hassan of the Washington-based Center for Global Policy, who is from eastern Syria but is not related to the court official. Men accused of being Islamic State militants stand in a cell. Prison officials asked them to turn away from the camera to protect their identities. (Alice Martins/For The Washington Post) “Some people complain it's a process that will backfire,” he said, “that you have too many former ISIS fighters who are sitting A visit to the prison in Qamishli where “Here we have learned that the ISIS ideo­ with their families back home and you about 400 convicted fighters are serving logy was wrong,”said a 36-year-old former don't know if they are just waiting to be their sentences suggests conditions for at fighter, who said he had 10 weeks left to reactivated.” least some are better than those in Iraqi serve, in the presence of prison guards. prisons. The torture and mistreatment of Many prisoners said they were weeks or There is also the question of fairness, he Iraqis suspected of involvement in insur­ months away from release, but a handful said. While some fighters are being freed gent activities helped fuel the resurgence had been given 20 years, the maximum, and others are given light sentences, of the Islamic State after U.S. troops left because they had been found guilty of others wait years for a trial. And there is no Iraq in 2011, and there are indications that planting bombs or killing people, prison process for dealing with the cases of the conditions have not improved, human officials said. tens of thousands of women and children rights researchers say. detained in the dismal internment camps. In a classroom, most of the few books were Photographs obtained by Human Rights by Abdullah Ocalan, the founder of the [New suffering for the children of the ISIS cali­ Watch and published in a recent report PKK and the intellectual father of the Sy­ phate as hunger and sickness spread] showed prisoners piled on top of one ano­ rian Kurdish group that controls northeas­ ther on the floor of a cell. tern Syria. Prisoners are not forced to During a month of trials embrace his leftist ideology, staff said, but that the group's researchers apparently it helps. Some who do are given secured permission to at­ jobs in the Kurdish-led militia or the admi­ tend, in February last year, nistration when they are released, said a 655 of the 758 accused were prison administration official who asked to given sentences in excess of be identified by her nom de guerre, Haval 15 years, and 203 were sen­ (Comrade) Abir. tenced to death, according to Belkis Wille, Human Most only joined the Islamic State because Rights Watch's Iraq repre­ they needed the salary and are not sentative. committed to the militants' ideology, she said. The Qamishli facility, origi­ nally a Syrian government “It is our philosophy to give them a chance prison, features a visiting to start a new life. Maybe a man made a hall with glass booths and mistake and he joined Daesh, but maybe A suspected Islamic State member faces judges at a makeshift intercoms, a barber and a he's a victim of his circumstances and he's courtroom in Qamishli. (Alice Martins/For The Washington Post) dentist clinic. The air-condi­ repentant,”she said, using an Arabic acro­ tioned cells have three-tier nym for the Islamic State. bunk beds and televisions tuned to Arabic soap operas. Haval Mohammed, the prison's director, Access to the prisons housing the fighters seemed less sure. “Of course there are still awaiting trial is prohibited. There have Two dozen prisoners were attending an art some who still love Daesh,”he said. been scattered but persistent reports of class, where they were painting papier- abuses against captives by Kurdish and mâché palm trees in a room crammed with Kamiran Sadoun contributed to this report. Arab fighters with the Syrian Democratic models, some of them elaborate recons­ Forces, the Kurdish-led militia that fought tructions of towns and villages that were Photo editing by Olivier Laurent. the Islamic State. apparently made by prisoners. Design by Brandon Ferrill

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16/08/2019 AL MONITOR Amberin Zaman Syrian Kurdish commander set conditions for safe zone talks with Turkey

A proposed safe zone deal between Turkey, the United States and the Kurdish administration in northeastern Syria must run the full length of territory lying between the Euphrates River HüênSûriyB and the Tigris, the commander of the US- backed Syrian Democratic Forces asserted in an interview published today by the pro-SDF ib^UldÛ Hawar News Agency. jlbijliynÊ

Striking a moderate tone on the US-led talks to establish a safe zone, Mazlum Kobane con­ jkuiji^ jiji firmed that no firm agreement on the precise «iuii nature and scope of the zone had been jjjtJMliljiaj reached.

Kobane stressed that the SDF would not accept any plan that did not include the full stretch of the border separating the Kurdish-controlled iuiijïl >U northeast of Syria from Turkey. He did not elaborate.

But a senior SDF official speaking on condition Mazlum Kobani, SDF's commander in chief, shakes hands with the adviser for the US Department of of anonymity because of the delicate nature of State in northern Syria William Robak, at al-Omar oil field in Deir ez-Zor, Syria, March 23, 2019. the topic told Al-Monitor, “The reason the REUTERS/Rodi Said agreement needs to encompass the whole bor­ der is because otherwise Turkey will continue to threaten unilateral action against the terri­ forced into early retirement or passed over for tories that fall outside it. We have no reason to promotion during the Supreme Military Coun­ Kobane acknowledged, however, that the SDF believe that Turkey's fundamental hostility to­ cil's annual meeting on Aug. 1. The alleged had agreed to let the zone widen up to 14 kilo­ ward us has changed.” purge was reported by the Turkish press. meters (nine miles) in the chunk of land be­ tween the towns of Ras al-Ain and The official noted, however, that the United Bellicose comments by Turkey's Foreign Min­ Arab-majority Tell Abyad. He did not explain States had stood firmly behind the Kurds and ister Mevlut Cavusoglu today suggest, ho­ why. that this support had played a critical role in wever, that little has changed. Cavusoglu said heading off a potential Turkish incursion. that Turkey would not “tolerate” any “delay­ The SDF official described the region “as a ing tactics” by the United States. He repeated pilot area” where the safe zone project would A second SDF-affiliated official was even more Turkey's demands that the safe zone would kick off. upbeat. Speaking not for attribution, he said, reach a depth of 32 kilometers (20 miles) and “The United States is currently speaking to be cleared of all YPG and PKK “terrorists” in It's presumably intended to accommodate the Ankara on behalf of the SDF, voicing Kurdish line with "a promise" from President Donald thousands of Syrian refugees in Turkey who demands, and that's actually quite amazing.” Trump. originally lived there. Turkey has made clear its intentions to return Syrians indigenous to Kobane confirmed in the interview that the Cavusoglu confirmed that a US military del­ the area, calling it a “peace corridor.” United States was conveying Turkey's de­ egation led by EUCOM deputy commander mands to the SDF and the SDF's demands back Lt. Gen. Stephen M. Tweety was traveling to Kobane indicated that they were welcome, to Ankara. the southeastern province of Sanliurfa in con­ saying, “We have invited them back.” But nection with a proposed joint operations those who belonged to the Islamic State or The SDF-affiliated official continued, “Ankara center to oversee the implementation of the other extremist groups that had subjected “the looks set to accept a YPG presence in north­ safe zone. He added that Turkish drones had Arab people, the Kurdish people and the other eastern Syria in the long term. A modus vi­ begun overflying the area. peoples of this region to tyranny,” he warned, vendi seems within reach.” The YPG is the “can return assured that they will be tried by People's Protection Units, the Syrian Kurdish Kobane appeared to contradict him, asserting our courts.” militia that is the driving force behind the SDF. that Turkey's request to the United States to It's the target of Turkey's ire because of its in­ open the airspace over the region under nego­ Amberin Zaman, Washington Post, Los Angeles timate ties with Kurdistan Workers Party tiation had been denied. “We did not agree to Times, Daily Telegraph ve Amerika'nin Sesi gibi (PKK). The PKK has been fighting the Turkish this and we never will,” Kobane said. medya kuruluçlari için Türkiye'de muhabirlik yapmi§ olan, istanbul'da yerleçik bir gazeteci army for Kurdish self rule since 1984. Today The SDF says it will not accept a zone any yazardir. Türk televizyon programlarina sik sik marked the 35th anniversary of the beginning yorumcu olarak katilan Zaman, 1999'dan bu yana deeper than five kilometers (three miles). The of its guerrilla campaign. The Economist dergisinin Türkiye muhabiri ola- presence of Turkish troops other than in joint rak gorev yapmaktadir. ABD düçünce kuruluçu patrols with US forces is another red line. “The The official speculated that a thaw was made German Marshall Fund'in “On Turkey” Turkish footprint has to be light and in low- possible when a slew of officers in the Turkish yayinlarina düzenli olarak katki yapan Zaman, military who purportedly advocated for inter­ profile spots, and any joint patrols need to be onde gelen Türk gazetelerinde de ko§e yazarligi vention against the YPG in Syria and Cyprus carried out in coordination with the SDF,” the yapmi§tir. Uzmanlik alanlari, Türk di§ politikasi, in the Eastern Mediterranean were either SDF-affiliated official said. Kürtler ve Türkiye-Ermenistan iliçkileridir.

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10/08/2019 AL MONITOR Shivan Ibrahim Did France end efforts for intra-Kurdish rapprochement in Syria?

he Kurdistan Democratic Party of Syria (KDP-S) announced Aug. 1 that French endeavors toward Kurdish- TKurdish rapprochement have come to a halt.

The political report of the party stated, “Re­ garding the endeavors and efforts toward achieving a form of consensus or understan­ ding on shared issues between the Kurdish National Council in Syria (KNC/ENKS) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD), we, the KDP-S and the KNC confirm that no meeting has ever been held except for what happened in Paris and only once through the mediation of France. We also assert that these endeavors stopped a while ago be­ cause the PYD did not cooperate in the issue of the abductees and the politically and ju­ dicially pursued members. France asked the PYD to clarify its stance vis-a-vis the detai­ Kurdish women hold flags of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) during a demonstration against the exclu­ nees after receiving a detailed list of their sion of Syrian Kurds from the Geneva talks in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli, Feb. 4, 2016.DELIL names and the date of their abduction.” The SOULEIMAN/AFP/Getty Images KNC and the PYD had met in Paris in April. together and in uniting the Kurdish stand to Regarding the possibility of forming a new In a video report by al-Arabiya channel on avoid threats and protect the Kurdish re­ administration and ruling structures that June 18, PYD leader Saleh Muslim praised gion, based on trust and international soli­ enjoy the approval of the wide social base, the initiative of France and the international darity.” Suleiman said, “It all depends on how res­ coalition to unite Kurds in Syria. In the same ponsive the Kurdish parties are and how report, Mohammad Ismail, a KDP-S politi­ Taher added, “The KDP-S will not save any willing and decisive they are to reach an un­ cal bureau officer, said that they accept the effort to unite Kurds, and we will cooperate derstanding. This understanding should French initiative, as it fulfills its purpose and with any international mediation, especially serve the interests of Kurds and at the same ensures dialogue and rapprochement. the French, which aims at uniting our ranks time fit with Syrians' interests in general, and position on Syria in general, and the while shielding the Kurdish areas from se­ Mohsen Taher, member of the KDP-S politi­ Kurdish movement in particular.” rious threats.” cal bureau and head of the local councils of the KNC, told Al-Monitor, “Since the start, Al-Monitor tried to contact the PYD and au­ Suleiman noted that the Kurdish-Kurdish we gave the French mediators our remarks tonomous administration leaders, but they understanding ensures “preserving the that pave the way for measures to build did not respond. gains that resulted from huge sacrifices and trust. They were positive and showed un­ convincing all parties that Kurds are an in­ derstanding. But, neither we nor the French Ahmad Suleiman, a political bureau mem­ tegral part for resolving the situation and felt the PYD were serious regarding the dis­ ber of the Kurdish Democratic Progressive instilling stability in Syria.” cussed issues.” Party in Syria (PDPKS) — distancing itself from the Kurdish-Kurdish conflict and cal­ Some observers believe the French initiative Also read ling for dialogue — told Al-Monitor, “The established Kurds' rights in the new Syrian Taher fears for the Kurdish region based on PDPKS was not banking on the success of Constitution. Political researcher and acti­ Turkish threats. “I think the quick develop­ the French initiative since the start, and we vist Omran Mansour told Al-Monitor over ments east of the Euphrates have oversha­ clarified our stance to the French, despite the phone from Paris that France wants to dowed and jeopardized the French our full support for the initiative. Such an guarantee Kurds' rights in Syria and that it initiative," he said. "The possible scenarios initiative cannot solve the pending issues is sorry that the French endeavors and ini­ are either to end the talks on a consensual between the two parties (the PYD and the tiative have so far failed. note that pleases the US and Turkey or KDP) because they are unable to reach an move toward war, conflict and Turkish mi­ understanding amid the regional situation.” He noted, “Kurdish-Kurdish consensus is litary intervention.” needed first, followed by Kurdish-Arab un­ Suleiman believes the situation will worsen derstanding and finding new Kurdish legal Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and tensions will peak. He said, “The ten­ ground to deal with the Syrian government announced Aug. 11 that Turkey “will expel sions and intra-Kurdish disputes won't and the Arab forces in the opposition. But People's Protection Units and the Kurdistan allow Kurds to influence the powers inter­ partisan interests got the best of the situa­ Workers Party from eastern Euphrates.” Re­ vening in Syria and the Kurdish area. Insta­ tion, and Kurdish political parties were garding their stance as a party and council, bility and threats are looming large on the unable to overcome their differences. The­ Taher said that “there is a possibility of re­ horizon.” refore, the initiative was frozen.” suming the French initiative to bring Kurds

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Mansour added that if the safe area in the an independent Kurdish politician, told Al- cially in the Syrian Negotiation Commis­ eastern Euphrates is formed, “it would be Monitor, “Why did the KDP-S announce sion, and worked on restructuring the cur­ based on the decision of the disputing coun­ freezing the French initiative endeavors, rent administration to serve the partnership tries on Syrian territories, and Turkey knowing that France should have been the with all components of the Kurdish area, wouldn't agree to a Kurdish role in Syria's announcing party? We have not heard from which is facing a real threat to its existence future. If France had succeeded in its initia­ the PYD yet. But, was the initiative stopped from Turkey.” tive, a new Kurdish structure capable of ne­ because its timeline ended or because of the gotiating with Turks and the regional declared conditions or other reasons? In any Aldar Khalil, a leader in the Movement for powers would have been able to prevent the case, stopping efforts and endeavors for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM), told a establishment of this region and dispel all rapprochement is bad, because negotiations local satellite channel that they do not have Turkish excuses and concerns.” and dialogue regarding the Kurdish future any political detainees and that the other in Syria should remain on the table.” party should stop asking for such demands. Mansour noted, “The peshmerga Rojava will be part of the US equation and decision Hussein believes that each party will accuse "The KNC had handed over a list of 12 to beef up military forces that will guard the other of obstructing efforts to reach an names to the French, claiming the self-rule and manage the safe area. There are understanding. He criticized the autono­ administration and the PYD were detaining concerns about demographic changes in the mous administration that should have them,” he said. Kurdish area, especially since Turkey will “built trust by opening the closed offices of try to naturalize Syrian refugees in the Kur­ Kurdish [groups], releasing the KNC detai­ Kurds in Syria are expecting political dish area in eastern Euphrates instead of nees or revealing their fate, ensuring free­ consensus on Syria, in general, and Syrian sending them to Arab provinces like Raqqa dom of political, media and civil work and Kurdistan, in particular, especially with the and Deir ez-Zor.” setting the stage for a common Kurdish increasing Turkish threats in the eastern Eu­ stand. It should have also taken a stance and phrates. The political and public scenes are Some parties were surprised with the deci­ formed a delegation to represent Kurds in gripped with fear and worry. sion to stop the initiative. Akram Hussein, international conferences and events, espe­

16/08/2019 SDF command reveals details about buffer zone in northeast Syria

Regarding the forces that will be present in the buffer zone, Abdi said the YPG and YPJ, the leading components of the SDF, will withdraw, leaving local forces to guard the territory in co­ ordination with US-led coalition forces.

Here, Abdi referred to the local military coun­ cils. YPG and YPJ commanders now in the area are not from the predominantly Kurdish bor­ der towns.

This plan is similar to what happened in Man- bij when it was liberated from the Islamic State in 2016. YPG and YPJ commanders who were from towns west of the Euphrates such as Has- sakeh and Qamishli withdrew, leaving secu­ rity responsibilities there to local commanders who formed Manbij Military Council (MMC).

According to Abdi, the SDF has rejected Ank­ ara's demand that the Turkish air force would Mazlum Abdi, head of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), speaks at a ceremony to mark the end of have a presence in the buffer zone. “We con­ the Islamic State's so-called caliphate near the city of Kobani, April 8, 2019. (Photo: Hawar) sider it a threat to our military forces,” he said. He also objected to the notion of referring to QAMISHLI (Kurdistan 24) - Commander in Abdi's statement came after reports that the buffer zone as a “safe zone” or “peace cor­ Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) the buffer zone included specific areas from ridor.” Mazlum Abdi on Thursday revealed details the towns of Serekaniye to Tal Abyad, covering about the controversial plan for a buffer zone about 115 km of the border with Turkey. “Turkey has formed the term of 'peace corri­ in northeast Syria amid threats by the Turkish dor' and we reject it because our region is al­ and Syrian regimes. Thus, Abdi said, “If there is an agreement, it ready peaceful and not a place of terrorism as should cover all areas of northeast Syria.” Turkey claims,” he said, adding, “We assure “The buffer zone includes the area from the Ti­ that our regions are the safest and most stable gris to the Euphrates along the border with “The entire area is 5 km deep, but in some areas in Syria.” Turkey and we did not accept to include only areas between Serekaniye and Tal Abyad, the a specific area,” Abdi told Hawar, the official area is 9 km deep and in some other areas the Regarding the return of Syrian refugees now Kurdish news agency in northeast Syria. depth increases to 14 km,” he continued. living in Turkey, Abdi said the SDF had al­

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ready pledged to accept them but under some of the Turkish state goes away, we will be in a and sleeper cells are scattered around the conditions. stronger position and the chances of the regime world,” he said. “Currently, in areas controlled to return to the region will diminish... That's by the Syrian regime west of the Euphrates, “We issued a statement in which we called on wrong and we don't think that way, rather to the there is territory to which the Syrian regime is the people of the area to return to their homes contrary. If there is an agreement on a buffer unable to enter, similar to those in Iraq where including the people of northeastern Syria in zone, it would be an important factor to protect the Iraqi army cannot reach, so the Islamic State Turkey, but those who were in the ranks of al- portions of Syrian territory. This would be great has revived its power again.” Nusra Front, the Islamic State, and terrorist for all of Syria.” groups must be put on trial first,” he explained. Abdi further explained that there are about Abdi then said that the Syrian government 12,000 Islamic State prisoners in northeast Syria Regarding his characterization of the Syrian should look positively at any agreement with guarded by thousands of SDF fighters and other government's position, Abdi said that, despite neighboring countries that prevents the occupa­ security forces. “If there are any attacks by Tur­ ongoing meetings, Damascus has not yet taken tion of any Syrian land, such as what occurred key or the Syrian regime on the region,” he war­ serious steps toward a solution. in Afrin. ned, “those guards will have to protect and fight for their homes and people. This will increase “The Syrian regime believes that the Turkish Regarding the Islamic State, Abdi said that there the risk posed by Islamic State prisoners.” state will attack and we will be forced to meet is a serious risk the group could cause greater the regime from a position of weakness, but we harm to the entire world, especially if its follo­ “In order to strengthen our common struggle will never step back and never give up the gains wers are seeking to carry out retaliatory attacks with the coalition against the Islamic State, our of our revolution in northeast Syria.” in Europe and America. borders in northeastern Syria must be stable.”

He added, “The regime believes that if there is “Previously, the Islamic State was fighting in a Editing by John J. Catherine an agreement on a buffer zone and the danger limited area, but now it is spreading everywhere

August 18, 2019 Ekurd Da ily By Editorial Staff in Kurdistan Kurds almost half of political prisoners in Iran: UN rapporteur

NEW YORK,— A newly circulated United Na­ were sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. At rience discrimination in the enjoyment of their tions report on Iran has noted that nearly half least 17 Kurdish prisoners were executed: 14 religious, economic and cultural rights. of the country's political prisoners are ethnic for murder and 3 for drug-related crimes,” the Kurds and that they are executed at a dispro­ report found. Parents are banned from registering their ba­ portionately higher rate than other ethnic bies with certain Kurdish names, and religious groups. Rahman also expressed concern that Iran has minorities that are mainly or partially Kurdish more than 80 offenses are punishable by death, are targeted by measures designed to stigma­ In a report submitted on July 18, 2019 but only including adultery, homosexuality, drug pos­ tize and isolate them. circulated to the UN General Assembly on Fri­ session, “waging war against God, corruption day. United Nations Special Rapporteur on the on Earth, blasphemy, and [insulting] of the Kurds are also discriminated against in their human rights situation in the Islamic Republic Prophet [Muhammad].” access to employment, adequate housing and of Iran Javaid Rehman expressed concerns political rights, and so suffer entrenched po­ about a range of issues, including the treat­ Iran conducted 253 executions last year, the verty, which has further marginalized them. ment of ethnic and religious minorities and most of any country other than China, accor­ women, freedom of expression, and judicial ding to Amnesty International. Kurdish human rights defenders, community conduct. activists, and journalists often face arbitrary ar­ Rehman also wrote that Iran's Kurdish popu­ rest and prosecution. Others - including some Rehman found that “Kurdish political priso­ lation is concentrated in “provinces [that] are political activists - suffer torture, grossly unfair ners charged with national security offences characterized by a lack of economic develop­ trials before Revolutionary Courts and, in represent almost half of the total number of po­ ment and high unemployment rates.” some cases, the death penalty. litical prisoners in the Islamic Republic of Iran.” He also noted that Kurdish language rights are Kurdish armed nationalist groups restricted and that Kurdish is not recognized including PJAK have been carrying Moreover, they “constitute a disproportiona­ as an official administrative language and is out attacks against Iranian forces in the Kur­ tely high number of those who received the not taught in schools. distan Province of Iran (Eastern Kurdistan) death penalty and are executed.” and other Kurdish-inhabited areas. Asma Jahangir, the former UN Special Rappor­ In 2018, 828 ethnic Kurds were arrested related teur-designate for Human Rights in Iran, relea­ Since 2004 the PJAK (Partiya Jiyana Azad a to civic activism. sed her advanced remarks on the violation of Kurdistane) took up arms to establish a semi­ rights in Iran in March 2017. “Kurdish political autonomous Kurdish regional entities or Kur­ So far this year, 199 Kurds have been arrested, prisoners are said to represent almost half of dish federal states in Iran, similar to the including 17 women, on charges of belonging the total number of political prisoners in Iran,” Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in to banned Kurdish parties, organizing Newroz she said. Iraq. The PJAK has more than 3,000 armed mi­ celebrations, or being engaged in labor, envi­ litiamen, half the members of PJAK are ronmental, or civic activism. Ever since its emergence in 1979 the Islamic re­ women. gime imposed discriminatory rules and laws Others were arrested for engaging in banned against the Kurds in all social, political and Estimate to over 12 million Kurds live in Ira­ religious activities or managing social net­ economic fields. nian Kurdistan (Rojhelat). works through platforms like Telegram. Iran's Kurdish minority live mainly in the west Copyright © 2019, respective author or news “At present, 55 of the 199 Kurdish detainees and north-west of the country. They expe­ agency, Ekurd.net | nrttv.com | Agencies

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.>'* - > R U DAW 18-08-2019 '/1»‘ Germany to repatriate over 100 ISIS-linked children, adults from Syria: monitor

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Germany is set to and the Syrian Demo­ take back over a hundred children born to sus­ cratic Forces (SDF) who pected Islamic State (ISIS) members as well as control it have reached “scores of men and women,” according to a boiling point, with at­ local monitor in northern Syria, in would be tacks on camp guards the largest scale repatriation of ISIS-linked na­ and protests against tionals by a European country to date. camp conditions.

“On Monday, a number of German orphans born to ISIS members will be handed over to the German Foreign Ministry at the Semalka French newspaper Le border crossing,” read a Sunday tweet from Monde reported in Feb­ Rojava Information Center (RIC), an organiza­ ruary that 800 Western tion with ties to the ruling Autonomous Ad­ men, 700 women, and ministration of North and East of Syria (NES). some 1,500 of their chil­ German national Leono ho fled fighting between Syria dren are estimated to be Forces (SDF) and Islamic State (ISIS) in Baghouz, Syria oi The repatriations will be Germany's first, with held in SDF camps. 2019. Photo: AFP “over 100 ISIS-linked German children, plus scores of men & women” held by the NES set The US government has Regional Government's (KRG) security forces, to be returned, RIC added. insisted on European countries' wide scale re­ in April. patriation of citizens suspected of ISIS mem­ Incapable of managing the tens of thousands bership, or born of suspected ISIS members. "The number of minors already brought back of ISIS suspects, spouses and children, the to Germany [from Iraq] has reached a high sin­ NES, often referred to as Rojava, has called on Some countries, like Belgium, France and the gle-digit figure," a source from the Foreign the international community to take back their Netherlands, are repatriating the children of Ministry told AFP. nationals. ISIS fighters in Syria on a “case by case basis.” Monday's repatriation would make a signifi­ Over 11,000 foreign women and children live A German court ordered the repatriation of an cant dent in the estimate of 117 children who in “dire conditions” at Al-Hol camp - which ISIS wife and their three children in July after are likely German nationals being held in de­ holds the families of some ISIS suspects - in the family sued Germany's foreign ministry, tention centers in Syria and Iraq, as reported northern Syria, according to a report by who intended to repatriate the children with­ by German channel WDR in June. Human Rights Watch in late July. out their mother. Rudaw English contacted the German Foreign Germany has repatriated several children from Ministry for a comment on the repatriation, Tensions between those detained at the camp facilities in Iraq, controlled by the Kurdistan but has yet to receive a response.

^Sternational 19/08/2019 Turquie : Erdogan s'attaque aux mairies du parti prokurde

a dissolution des mairies de trois grandes villes late le journal kurdes laisse craindre le début d'une nouvelle progouvernemental Sabah. vague de répression envers l'opposition. L Les Kurdes peuvent néanmoins Le président turc Erdogan a mis ses menaces à exé­ compter sur le soutien du CHP, le cution. Durant la campagne municipale mouvemen­ principal parti de l'opposition tée qu'a connue le pays avant l'été, il avait déjà laïque et nationaliste, tradition­ menacé les futurs élus et électeurs du parti de nellement très hostile aux revendi­ gauche prokurde HDP. Lundi 19 août au matin, les cations autonomistes kurdes, mais maires de Mardin, Van et Diyarbakir, trois grandes qui cette fois-ci fait bloc contre le Devant les bureaux du parti pro-kurde HPD, le 19 août à Istanbul, villes de l'est du pays, majoritairement kurde, ont président Erdogan. des manifestants protestent contre la destitution par Erdogan de trois maires du parti. OZAN KOSE / AFP été démis de leurs fonctions pour “liens avec une Ekrem Imamoglu, le maire organisation terroriste”, rapporte le quotidien Cum- CHP d'Istanbul, triomphalement élu au mois de dernières municipales avait donné lieu à des scènes huriyet. juin, notamment grâce au soutien du parti prokurde, de liesse. Pas moins de 418 interpellations ont été effectuées a fait immédiatement part de son indignation sur Les maires nouvellement élus avaient alors abattu simultanément parmi les sympathisants et militants Twitter : “Relever de leurs fonctions des maires élus les murs et les barricades dressées autour de leurs du parti à travers le pays. Une façon pour le pouvoir est un affront fait à la démocratie, il est inacceptable mairies et fait visiter les bâtiments, où les tuteurs turc de punir ses opposants, mais aussi de s'assurer de bafouer la volonté du peuple.” nommés par l'État “s'étaient construit de véritables du soutien de son allié d'extrême droite, le MHP, En 2016 déjà, plus de 70 équipes municipales palais” avec l'argent du contribuable, comme le dé­ dont le président a appelé le ministre de l'Intérieur kurdes avaient été dissoutes, et une partie des élus nonçait dans le journal en ligne Diken le nouveau pour le féliciter : “Nous renouvelons notre entière emprisonnés. La reconquête des mairies lors des maire de Diyarbakir, celui-là même qu'Erdogan confiance dans le gouvernement”, a-t-il déclaré, re- vient de démettre de ses fonctions.

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REUTERS 19/08/2019

Turkey ousts three Kurdish mayors for suspected militant links, launches security operation

Veli Agbaba, deputy leader of the main oppo­ sition Republican People's Party (CHP), wrote on Twitter that the dismissals were tanta­ mount to fascism and a blow against democ­ racy, while Istanbul's CHP mayor Ekrem Imamoglu also slammed the move.

“Negating the will of the people is unaccept­ able,” he wrote on Twitter. Imamoglu himself was removed from office over irregularities shortly after coming to power in the March election, but won a re-run election in June.

More unusually, Turkey's former president Abdullah Gul and ex-prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu, once allies of Erdogan from his AK Party who have emerged as potential political opponents, said on Twitter the dismissals were out of line with democracy.

The removal of the mayors echoed the dis­ missal of dozens of mayors in 2016 over simi­ lar accusations, part of a purge that began after a failed coup. Nearly 100 mayors and thou­ sands of party members were jailed in a crack­ Police use a water cannon to disperse demonstrators during a protest against the replacement of Kur­ down that drew expressions of concern from dish mayors with state officials in three cities, in Diyarbakir, Turkey, August 20, 2019. REUTERS/Ser- the United States and European Union. tac Kayar Erdogan warned before the March elections DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkey on Mayor Ahmet Turk and Van Mayor Bedia Oz- that HDP mayors could again be dismissed if Monday replaced Kurdish mayors with state gokce Ertan. they, like their predecessors, were deemed to officials in three cities and detained more than have ties to militants. 400 people for suspected militant links, the In­ Police detained 418 people in 29 provinces in terior Ministry said, a move likely to fuel ten­ a related investigation targeting suspects with Erdogan frequently accuses the HDP of links sions in the mainly Kurdish southeast. links to the PKK, the ministry added. to the PKK, which is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the EU and the United States. The ministry also said it had launched an op­ The pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party The HDP denies such links. eration with some 2,300 commandos against (HDP), to which the three mayors belong, said militant fighters of the outlawed Kurdistan they had been dismissed “on an order based The PKK launched an insurgency against the Workers Party (PKK) in southeastern prov­ on lies and illegal justifications”. Turkish state in 1984. More than 40,000 people inces. have been killed in the conflict. “This is a new and clear political coup. It is a The mayors of three major southeastern cities clear and hostile stance against the political The Interior Ministry said recent operations - Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van - are accused of will of the Kurdish people,” the HDP ex­ had led to PKK militant numbers falling to various crimes including membership of a ter­ ecutive board said in a written statement. their lowest level in 30 years, with the number rorist organization and spreading terrorist of fighters in Turkey falling to some 600 from group propaganda, the ministry said in a state­ It said the three mayors had been elected with around 1,800-2,000 in the past. ment. between 53% to 63% of the vote in their cities in March and called for support from other po­ Announcing the new operation against PKK Riot police fired water cannon on small groups litical parties. militants, launched on Sunday in the prov­ of people protesting against the mayors' dis­ inces of Van, Sirnak and Hakkari, the ministry missal in central Diyarbakir, where police Police use a water cannon to disperse demon­ published images showing security forces fir­ sealed off the municipality headquarters with strators during a protest against the replace­ ing machine guns and rocket-propelled gre­ metal barriers, Reuters TV video showed. ment of Kurdish mayors with state officials in nades. three cities, in Diyarbakir, Turkey, August 20, President Tayyip Erdogan had warned ahead 2019. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar The security forces destroyed 43 caves and of local elections in March of such a move shelters used by the PKK, the ministry said, against elected officials if they were found to “This is not just the problem of the HDP and adding that operations would continue until have had connections to the PKK. the Kurdish people. It is the shared problem of all militants in the areas were “neutralized”. all Turkey's peoples and all democratic “For the health of the investigations, they have forces,” it added. Writing by Daren Butler; been temporarily removed from their posts as Editing by Dominic Evans a precaution,” the ministry said, referring to MAIN OPPOSITION SLAMS and Gareth Jones Diyarbakir Mayor Selcuk Mizrakli, Mardin DISMISSALS

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19/08/2019 ASHARQ Cÿ AL-AWSAT Erbil - By Ihsan Aziz Iran Mobilizes Forces on Border with Kurdistan

unmen from opposition Iranian Kurd­ conditions and with­ ish parties are increasing their activities draw from the area. on the Iranian border, prompting the Izzat expressed con­ Garmy to boost its presence along the bordercern over renewed es­ with Kurdistan Region, according to residents calation, citing Iranian of the Sidakan village, 90 kilometers northeast artillery shelling that of Erbil in the Soran district. killed an 18-year-old girl and injured two of Soran mayor, Kirmanj Izzat said the army has her brothers in the bor­ been amassing its forces there since last fall in der village of Derri two anticipation of any military action. months ago.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the military has He noted that the Pesh- set up more surveillance points on the moun­ merga forces of the tains, but has not entered the Region yet. Kurdish regional gov­ ernment are fully ca­ “We do not have accurate information on the pable of controlling the Members of the Iranian Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDPI) check the size or strength of those forces,”he announced. security in the border damage after a rocket attack inside their headquarters in Koysinjaq in areas, but they can not September 2018. (AFP file photo) He indicated that the armed groups of the Ira­ control the mountain­ nian Kurdish opposition parties are still active, ous border. would be forced to defend themselves if the au­ especially near the mountainous border. thorities continued to neglect the security of the Mayor of Derri, Sabri Kamal said that the res­ village. Izzat expressed serious concerns about the pos­ idents had warned the gunmen against staying sibility of an escalation in light of the ongoing in their positions or launching attacks against Residents were forced out of the village after operations by the gunmen, who are good at in­ Iran, which would provoke a response from the Iranian shelling burned down their farms filtrating deep into Iranian territory, despite the Tehran that would harm the locals. The res­ and fields and regional authorities did not pro­ heavy military deployment. idents would take up arms and kick them out vide them with any compensation. by force if they have to. He pointed out that this will negatively affect Derri is located at the foot of the mountainous The opposition gunmen responded to the the situation in the border areas within the border and sometimes comes under Iranian warnings and relocated their headquarters a Kurdistan Region, calling on the opposition bombardment. few kilometers away from the village, but they parties to consider the political and security Kamal told Asharq Al-Awsat that the residents are still in the area, said Kamal.

Kbianet 19/08/2019 BAGIMSIZ iLETiÇÎM AGI Joint Statement by 28 Bar Associations Against Removal of Mayors from Office 28 bar associations have released a joint statement "Though the State of Emergency has been lifted, the will as a reflection of the election with an adminis­ and announced the removal of elected Metropoli­ unlawful practices of the State of Emergency still trative decision is an administrative coup in the mil­ tan Mayors of Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van from continue apace. Democracy and law have been sus­ dest sense of the term. This coup stages against the office. “Turkey has once again woken up to a law­ pended and ruined once again. will of the people will not bring any good to Tur­ less morning”, the bars have stated. key's democracy." 'The threat uttered before March 31 realized' After Metropolitan Mayors of Diyarbakir, Mardin Concluding their statement, the bar associations and Van have been removed from office by the Mi­ "The threat of 'If they are elected, we will appoint have emphasized, "We do not accept this unlawful nistry of Interior, 28 bar associations have released trustees' uttered before the elections on March 31, practice that has completely removed the idea of li­ a joint statement and denounced the appointment of 2019, has been put into practice. ving together in peace and the belief in the ideal of trustees. rule of law." "The fact that three elected mayors, whose nomi­ "We do not accept this unlawful practice that has nation was approved by the Supreme Election The associations have also requested that the dis­ completely removed the idea of living together in Council (YSK), have been removed from office missed metropolitan mayors be reinstated in their peace and the belief in the ideal of rule of law", the with an 'administrative decision' not five months positions immediately. associations have indicated and stated the following later and on the ground of not yet finalized investi­ in brief: gations and court cases has once again showed the tutelage of the executive on the judiciary. The undersigned bar associations are as follows: 'We witness this shame for the second time' "This action has dealt a blow to not only to the ad­ ministrative structure of the country, but to its judi­ Adana, Adiyaman, Agri, Ankara, Antalya, Artvin, "Turkey has once again woken up to a lawless mor­ ciary as well. Batman, Bingol, Bitlis, Bursa, Denizli, ning. It is the second time that we witness this Diyarbakir, Düzce, Gaziantep, Hakkari, Hatay, shame. In 2016, several mayors were also detained 'It will not bring any good to Turkey's demo­ Istanbul, Izmir, Kars-Ardahan, Mardin, Mersin, and 96 elected mayors were similarly replaced by cracy' Mu§, Siirt, §anliurfa, $irnak, Tunceli, Van, Ya- trustees. lova (HA/SD) "The elimination of the election and the people's

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Dismissal of HDP Mayors: Statements by Rights and Professional Organizations

The Association of Contemporary Lawyers The lawyers for Demo­ (ÇHD), the Union of Chambers of Turkish cracy said that the elected Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), the mayors were dismissed Lawyers for Democracy, the Human Rights without law and without Association (IHD) and the Human Rights any rules, and that this Foundation of Turkey (TIHV) have released was once again a declara­ statements on the dismissal of mayors. tion that democracy and the will of the people are not recognized. Istanbul Following the dismissal of the HDP Metropoli­ "The fact that the govern­ tan Mayors of Diyarbakir, Van and Mardin, ment has applied the rights and professional organizations made a sta­ same method again is no­ tement on the issue. thing more than insis­ tence on one man rule. The Association of Contemporary Lawyers (ÇHD), Mülkiyeliler Birligi (the alumni associa­ "The corruption of the tion of the Ankara University Faculty of Political trustees is clearly revea­ Science), the Union of Chambers of Turkish En­ led by the elected mayors in how the municipa­ "The Interior Ministry's decision to usurp the gineers and Architects (TMMOB), the Lawyers lity's facilities are used for personal benefit, will of voters poses a grave threat to all opposi­ for Democracy, the Human Rights Association while the re-submission of the municipalities to tion municipalities that are not regarded as ac­ (ÎHD) and the Human Rights Foundation of Tur­ the trustees also means continued and insistence ceptable by political power. key (TIHV) released the following statements: on this corruption and vested interests. "Today, through the trustees, the most basic prin­ Joint statement by iHD and TiHV "This means the destruction of democracy and ciples of democracy are trampled upon once The Human Rights Association (IHD) and the the rule of law for the entire country. This reck­ again. Local governments are the main veins of Turkish Human Rights Foundation (TIHV), lessness, which does not recognize the law and democracy in Turkey. which issued a joint press release on the issue, ignores the will of the people, may appear anyw­ stated that the first and indispensable condition here else in the country in the future. "We would like to point out that the elected of democracy is to recognize the will of the vo­ mayors are quickly returned to their posts and ters. TMMOB: Political morality of the one man that this practice is vital to our political life. regime Emphasizing Article 38 of the Constitution, the Stating that the dismissals made under the pre­ "It should be remembered that what we need ur­ IHD and TIHV emphasized said that no one can text of judicial-administrative investigations car­ gently is a strong democracy. The strengthening be charged unless convicted by a finalized court ried out on the mayors have nothing to do with of democracy is possible through the existence order: democracy and the understanding of the rule of of an egalitarian, libertarian, just and peaceful law, the Union of Chambers of Engineers and ar­ life." "Today's impeachment and municipality seizure chitects of Turkey (TMMOB) said that the simi­ operation is an absolute violation of the Consti­ lar ones of this understanding were the product ÇHD: No more surprises tution and an operation to seize municipalities of the fascist government mentality they saw du­ Describing today's events as 'banditry', the with anti-democratic laws and powers that poli­ ring the periods of coup: Contemporary Lawyers' Association interpreted tical power cannot seize by elections. the confiscation of municipalities as an indica­ "This insistence on the trustee regime is a blow tion that the political power was in New prepa­ "Directly appointing governors is literally a state not only to the will of the people, but also to the rations.: of emergency action. Governors running the me­ people's faith in democracy and elections. Trying tropolitan municipalities which could not be won to usurp what was lost at the ballot box by non­ "It is no longer surprising that the AKP, which in elections means that the ruling party will run democratic means is also indicative of the level considers the elections legitimate when they are these municipalities. of political morality of the one-man regime. in favor of it and and declares them 'illegal' when it loses, has seized the municipalities that have The IHD and the TIHV also recalled that 94 "Those who have no ties to the people and have taken the people's vote through the elections mayors from the Peoples' Democratic Party no sense of responsibility to the people do not today. (HDP) were dismissed during the state of emer­ only cause great and lasting damage to demo­ gency period, and five mayors from the HDP cracy but also to the local governments to which "The government has openly launched attacks were not given the mandates in the March 31 they are appointed. on its representatives and institutions chosen by local elections, even though they won the elec­ the people's vote in order to eliminate the reac­ tions. "This shame of democracy, this blow to the will tions of the Kurdish people prior to the opera­ of the people should be abandoned immediately. tions which are intended to be aimed at the Urging the government to return elected mayors The concept of neutralizing opposition politi­ Kurdish geography. to office, the IHD and the TIHV invited all de­ cians through illegal means, repression and dif­ mocratic forces to oppose the interference by the ficult methods should be abandoned." "It is never acceptable for the Kurdish people to government. confiscation of the municipalities they have cho­ Mülkiyeliler: Mayors must be quickly returned sen by their own votes. The extermination poli­ Lawyers for Democracy: Will of the people to their posts cies against the Kurdish people should be are not recognized stopped immediately." (HA/VK)

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19 août 2019 LE FIGARO Minoui, Delphine Le pouvoir turc révoque trois maires pro-kurdes Nouveau coup dur pour l'opposition, ces élus de Diyarbakir, Mardin et Van ont été démis de leurs fonctions pour « terrorisme ».

TURQUIE: C'est un nouveau coup dur pour cée sous haute surveillance, l'opposition. Après l'espoir suscité par les mu­ en dénonçant son rempla­ nicipales du 31 mars, trois maires pro-kurdes cement par le gouverneur du parti HDP ont été subitement démis de de sa province (choisi par leurs fonctions dans la nuit de dimanche à les autorités). Le 31 mars, lundi. Élus dans d'importantes villes du sud- M. Mizrakli avait été élu est de la Turquie (Diyarbakir, Mardin et Van), avec 63 % des voix dans Adnan Selçuk Mizrakli, Ahmet Türk et Bedia cette ville considérée Ozgokçe Ertan sont poursuivis pour « appar­ comme la « capitale » du tenance à une organisation terroriste » et « pro­ Sud-Est à majorité kurde pagande terroriste », selon un communiqué du pays. Pour le HDP, qui publié par le ministère de l'Intérieur. Raison rejette en bloc les accusa­ avancée : des plaintes auraient été déposées tions, cette mise sous tutelle contre ces trois membres du HDP (régulière­ est symptomatique du ment accusé de collusion avec la rébellion « problème commun de armée du PKK) pour avoir « lancé des pra­ tous les peuples de Turquie Des manifestants affrontent la police turque alors qu'ils protestaient tiques soutenant les objectifs, discours idéolo­ et de toutes les forces dé­ contre le remplacement de maires kurdes par des représentants de giques et actions de l'organisation séparatiste mocratiques ». Un point de l'État dans trois villes du pays, à Diyarbakir, le 19 août 2019. ILYAS (...) et orienté les moyens de la mairie pour vue partagé par le maire AKENGIN/AFP soutenir l'organisation terroriste, plutôt que d'Istanbul, Ekrem Imamo- pour couvrir les besoins locaux des citoyens ». glu. « Ignorer la volonté du peuple est inaccep­ Le HDP n'en est pas à ses premiers déboires. table », a-t-il déclaré, en évoquant une Après sa percée aux législatives de juin 2015, L'annonce, qui intervient dans une période de démarche qui « ne peut être associée à des pra­ les autorités avaient organisé un scrutin anti­ relative clémence à l'égard du chef du PKK, tiques démocratiques ». cipé cinq mois plus tard. Aux municipales de Abdullah Ocalan, récemment autorisé à voir 2014, des maires du parti pro-kurde avaient ses avocats après des années d'isolement total, Percée aux législatives également remporté 102 municipalités. Mais a déclenché de vives réactions. « Tant que la Ce membre du CHP (opposition sociale-démo- 95 d'entre eux avaient été ultérieurement rem­ volonté du peuple ne sera pas prise en compte, crate), élu lors de la convocation d'un second placés par des administrateurs nommés par le aucun système établi par ceux qui ont été nom­ vote le 23 juin, parle en connaissance de cause : gouvernement. À l'approche du scrutin de més (par le gouvernement) ne sera légitime sa première victoire, obtenue en mars, avait été mars dernier, le président Erdogan avait d'ail­ aux yeux du peuple », s'est insurgé Selçuk annulée après un recours déposé par l'AKP, le leurs ouvertement menacé d'avoir à nouveau Mizrakli devant la mairie de Diyarbakir, pla- parti du président Erdogan. recours à ce procédé. rfi Avec AFP : 19/08/2019 Turquie: des maires pro-kurdes remplacés par des fonctionnaires

L'AKP avait perdu les municipales le 31 mars, lonté du peuple, a-t-il écrit sur Twitter, est après avoir fait rejouer l'élection à la mairie inacceptable. » d'Istanbul. Mais l'opposition a pris dans la nuit de dimanche à lundi 19 août un nouveau coup Remplacer des élus par des fonctionnaires dur : trois maires pro-kurdes élus dans d'im­ choisis par le pouvoir, la pratique est connue portantes villes du sud-est de la Turquie ont : aux municipales de 2014 déjà, le parti pro­ été démis de leurs fonctions, accusés d'activités kurde avait remporté 102 municipalités ; 95 « terroristes », moins de cinq mois après leur sont ensuite passées sous contrôle direct du élection. gouvernement.

Diyarbakir, Mardin et Van. Ces trois villes im­ À chaque fois, la même rhétorique : les élus portantes du sud-est de la Turquie avaient élu sont accusés d'appartenance au PKK. L'orga­ leur maire - respectivement Adnan Selçuk nisation est classée terroriste par la Turquie, Mizrakli, Ahmet Türk et Bedia Ozgokçe Ertan Ahmet Turk, comme deux autres maires pro-kurdes les États-Unis et l'Europe. - à une large majorité, entre 54 et 63%. Ces élus du sud-est turc, élus lors des élections municipales du HDP sont désormais remplacés par des du 31 mars, a été démis de son mandat dans la nuit La répression s'est en tout cas accentuée de­ fonctionnaires. de dimanche à lundi 19 août. ILYAS AKENGIN / AFP puis trois ans. Les dirigeants du parti sont der­ rière les barreaux et à la présidentielle de juin Dans un communiqué, le HDP a dénoncé ce 2018, son candidat avait fait campagne. de sa lundi un « geste clairement hostile à la volonté d'un autre parti d'opposition le CHP a critiqué prison. politique du peuple kurde ». Il a été soutenu « une pratique » qui « ne peut être associée à par le maire d'Istanbul : Ekrem Imamoglu, élu des pratiques démocratiques ». « Ignorer la vo-

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BBC 19 August 2019 Turkey removes three top Kurdish mayors in major crackdown

regions of the coun­ It added that the officials were "deliberately try. and wilfully nominated as mayoral candi­ dates in some municipalities". The operation on Monday saw teams But the HDP has labelled the decision a "bla­ of officers conduct­ tant move to hijack electoral will" and has ing raids in 29 prov­ called on all opposition parties to raise their inces across Turkey. voice in protest.

Those detained in­ The mayor of Diyarbakir, Selcuk Mizrakli, clude the mayors of said the move by the Turkish government Diyarbakir, Mardin "disregards the will of the people", AFP and Van provinces - news agency reported. all of whom secured large majorities in The vice-president of the secular Republican Image copyright Getty Images Image caption : Turkish anti-riot police the March elections. People's Party (CHP), Ozgur Ozel, tweeted: deployed in Istanbul after protests erupted over the crackdown "Once again the ruling AK [party] chose fas­ They are members of cism instead of democracy." the opposition pro­ Turkey has removed three elected mayors Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), In June, the AK party suffered defeats in from office and detained more than 400 but are accused of sharing links with the Turkey's major cities, losing control of Istan­ people as part of a crackdown over alleged PKK. bul after a re-run of the city's mayoral elec­ links to Kurdish militants. tion in a stinging blow to Turkish President The charges reportedly include renaming Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The mayors, who were elected in March, are local streets and parks after imprisoned accused of spreading "terrorist propaganda" PKK members and offering jobs to the rel­ The Kurdish PKK has waged an insurgency and "financing terrorism". atives of militants, Turkey's interior mini­ in Turkey for more than three decades, cost­ stry said in a statement. ing more than 40,000 lives. Ankara says they - and the many others de­ tained - have ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). "Through judicial and administrative inves­ The group is blacklisted as a terror organi­ tigations, our ministry suspended mayors sation by Ankara and its Western allies, and who were identified and proven to be en­ there have been several military operations There are fears that the move could escalate gaged and affiliated with terrorist organisa­ against them since 2015. tensions in the mainly Kurdish south-east tions," the ministry said.

19 Aug 2019 ALJAZEERA Turkey removes pro-Kurdish mayors, arrests more than 400 Interior ministry says it has cases against the mayors for 'spreading propaganda' and being members of the banned PKK.

he Turkish government has removed The Ministry of the Interior said it had ac­ President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repea­ three mayors from office over alleged tive cases against them for "spreading pro­ tedly claimed that the HDP has ties to the links to a Kurdish armed group as au­ paganda" or being members of a "terrorist" PKK, which has fought a bloody armed Tthorities arrested more than 400 peopleorganisation. campaign against the Turkish state for much amid a deepening crackdown on a pro-Kur­ of the past 35 years. dish party. Al Jazeera's Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul, said the mayors have also been ac­ The PKK is designated as a "terrorist" orga­ The mayors of Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van cused of diverting money and resources nisation by Turkey, the United States and provinces in eastern Turkey - all members of from their municipalities to support the out­ the European Union. the People's Democratic Party (HDP) elec­ lawed Kurdistan Workers' Party ted in March - were suspended on Monday. (PKK) agenda. Erdogan had warned ahead of nationwide local elections in March that elected officials >>>> 65 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti

>>>>>

The Turkish government has long accused pro-Kurdish HDP of having links to the outlawed PKK [File: Sertac Kayar/Reuters] would be removed if they were found to Our Municipal Co-chairs, who were elected 29 provinces on Monday, including Diyar- have connections to the PKK. with 63% of the vote in Diyarbakir, 56% of bakir, Mardin and Van, detaining at least the vote in Mardin and 53% of the vote in 418 suspects over alleged PKK ties, the in­ The Ministry of the Interior said the mayors' Van, have been removed from duty with an terior ministry said. roles would be taken over by their provin­ Interior Ministry order based on lies. cial governors, who are appointed by the Statement by our central executive board: In Diyarbakir, the municipality building central government. https://t.co/gBbLhnFUQ3 was cordoned off by police, a correspondent from AFP news agency said, with em­ Diyarbakir Mayor Selcuk Mizrakli told re­ — HDP English (@HDPenglish) August 19, ployees being searched by officers as they porters outside the municipal building that 2019 entered. the move "disregards the will of the people". The government launched a crackdown on The sacked mayors had won with large ma­ opposition politicians as well as the public jorities in the elections held in March. 'Vile coup' sector, media and civil society following a The cases against Mizrakli and Van Mayor failed coup in July 2016. Mizrakli won in Diyarbakir with 63 percent Bedia Ozgokce Ertan date back to their time of the vote, Turk won in Mardin with 56 per­ as members of parliament. Although the coup was not directly linked cent and Ertan took Van with 54 percent. to the Kurdish issue, the crackdown saw 95 The Ministry of the Interior in a statement of the 102 pro-Kurdish mayors removed The HDP said in a statement that the deci­ accused the mayors of supporting the PKK from their posts and replaced with central sion was "clearly a hostile move" against the through their actions and behaviour "rather government appointees. Kurds and called for solidarity between all than meeting the needs of citizens". "democratic forces". HDP legislator Garo Paylan said on Mon­ The HDP denies any links to the PKK but day that all parties and the public must op­ There was also criticism from the new Istan­ has tried to broker peace talks between the pose this "vile coup". bul mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu of the main fighters and the government. opposition Republican People's Party "Remaining silent will mean Ankara, Istan­ (CHP), who was forced to rerun his own Hundreds of its members and around 40 of bul next," he said on Twitter, referring to the campaign this year after being controver­ its mayors are currently in detention. fact that the ruling party lost control of Tur­ sially stripped of his initial victory. key's two largest cities this year. The former HDP head, Selahattin Demirtas, "Ignoring the will of the people is unaccep­ has been in prison since November 2016 - a Hundreds arrested table," Imamoglu wrote on Twitter. case that has been criticised by the Euro­ pean Court of Human Rights. Turkish police also carried out raids across SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

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Justice Tuesc|ay, 16 August, 2019 UN body recognises four Kurds' cases as enforced disappearances by Islamic Republic of Iran

he UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) has recognised all four Tcases of activists executed in 2010 as enfor­ ced disappearances and is now asking the Islamic Republic of Iran's authorities to sub­ mit evidence to determine the details of their fates and whereabouts.

On 9 June 2010, authorities contacted the fa­ milies of Shirin Alam Holi, Ali Heydarian, Farzad Kamangar and Farhad Vakili, and informed them that their children had been executed. Their bodies were never returned, and after nine years, the locations of their burial sites remain undisclosed.

On October 10th (the international day against death penalty) Justice for Iran made a request to the UN WGEID and asked them to hold the IRI accountable in relation to the unlawful prosecution and execution of Iran these four political prisoners. f cation of his burial till this day. He commen­ The WGEID's recognition necessitates that Farzad Kamangar's brother talks further ted on the formal recognition of his bro­ authorities grant victims' families the right about his sudden execution: “It was agreed ther's case as enforced disappearance: to know the truth about the victims' fates that a number of parliament representatives “Now after almost ten years, this nightmare and their whereabouts and the right to jus­ and members of the teachers union would has taken over my family. No government tice, according to international law. As long visit Farzad in Evin Prison to see how he is. organisation or body is willing to talk to as the details of the fates and whereabouts Correspondence were held between the ju­ Farzad's family about his body or the place of those killed extra-judicially remain diciary and parliament representatives as of his burial. Therefore, my family is putting concealed, the crimes of enforced disappea­ well as the involved commissions, and in the effort to work with international or­ rances committed at any time will continue where fruitful. The permit and dates of this ganisations to pressurise and hold Iran's re­ to remain as human rights violations, not visitation were issued by the Judiciary. Mr. gime accountable. By hiding the body for subject to any statute of limitations. Karami, the then representative from Sanan- ten years, they have increased the depth of daj, communicated with our family the the atrocity. Therefore, Farzad Kamangar's Farzad Kamangar, a teacher and a civil confirmation of the date of this visit bet­ family is thankful and appreciative towards rights activist, was arrested in Tehran in ween four parliament representatives, three international organisations who are putting April 2006. Prior to his arrest, he had been a members of the teachers union and Farzard, pressure on the Iranian regime Which is teacher in Kamyaran for 12 years. In letters which was May 12th. Unfortunately, they committing these crimes.” which Farzad wrote from prison, he spoke did not allow this effort to hear the voice of of the extensive pressures that the security the imprisoned teacher. Meaning on May Shirin Alam Holi was arrested on June 2008 forces had exposed him in order to extract 9th they already carried the execution in a by the IRGC forces in Tehran, based on alle­ televised confessions from him. very fast way and without informing any ju­ gations of being a member of the PJAK dicial authority.” group. She was transferred to Evin Prison Mehrdad Kamangar, Farzad Kamangar's after enduring 21 days of torture. According brother, told Justice for Iran about the un­ Mehrdad Kamangar then talked about his to a letter she wrote prior to her execution, clear process and the unjust ruling of his family's encounter with Esmail Najar, the Shirin continuously suffered from night­ brother's case, emphasising its unlawful­ then governor of Kurdistan, and five other mares based on the physical and psycholo­ ness. He says : “According to Farzad's attor­ Kurdistan representatives after the execu­ gical pressures. ney, Khaliil Bahramian, there was no reason tion: “Najar had been the head of provincial for his arrest based on Islamic Republic security council at the time of the execution. Malaekeh Alam Holi, Shirin's aunt, told Jus­ laws. He had to be released... this is the rea­ He met with my family in a room. He made tice for Iran about the handling of Shirin's son why he was not given a public trial.” justifications and misleading arguments case and her hidden execution: “As Shirin's about the legitimacy of the execution. He family member, I want to announce that not Mehrdad Kamangar blames the influence of took the body hostage and said he would re­ only were her rights taken from her, but she the intelligence forces on his brother's case turn it when Kurdistan's protests against was given a cruel sentence. She was not as the reason why their efforts For his re­ the sentence settled.” given the right to defend herself and there­ lease had been unsuccessful. He says that fore she was given a cruel sentence without after his family's repeated visits to Abbas Ja- Farzad Kamangar's brother emphasised on her family or her lawyer being informed, fari Dolatabadi's office, Tehran's prosecutor his family's lack of information about the and she was executed along with her at the time, they were told that the case has fate of his brother's body as well as the lo­ comrades in secret.” gone ‘missing'.

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Symbolic gravestones for Shirin Alam Holi, Farzad Kamangar, and Ali Heydarian, made by their families.

Malaekeh Alam Holi added that her body Sadiyeh Vakili, the sister of Farhad Vakili, security forces. After being heavily tortured was ‘stolen' and was kept hidden from her told Justice for Iran about the unsuccessful during interrogations, he was sentenced to family. She pointed to her family's repeated effort of her family to retrieve her body, or death in a short trial on charges of “enmity visits to different governmental bodies, such even gain information the location of his bu­ against God” and ““storing and smuggling as the revolutionary court, parliament, the rial. She also spoke of the unjust cruelty that of weapons and other ammunitions”. Ali provincial government etc. and said: “Her her family has been receiving from the Isla­ Heydarian's family were amongst the fami­ father passed away from heartbreak due to mic Republic. She spoke of the cruelty and lies of other Kurdish political prisoners exe­ her body not being delivered. Despite this, unjust her family suffered at the hands of cuted simultaneously with Ali, who met the our family is still waiting for her body to be the Islamic Republic: “This issue has caused governor of Kurdistan on May 22nd 2010. delivered.” us immense mental and psychological da­ They were inquiring as to how they could mage., It may be odd for others to hear this retrieve the bodies. Kurdistan's governor Malaekeh Alam Holi believes that Shirin's but we have to say that even after all these responded: “They are buried in a place body should be buried at home in Kurdis­ years, martyr Farhad's wife and children which we cannot currently announce due to tan. She has reached out to human rights or­ still have hope that he may be alive. The security reasons. The officials will inform ganisations, international bodies and the never ending continuation of this pain, you about the location at an appropriate world community to pressurise the IRI and which has been deliberately inflicted upon time in the future.” have Shirin's body returned to them. us by the Islamic Republic regime, has be­ come an endless nightmare for us.” Farhad Vakili, a political activist, was arres­ ted in Sanandaj in April 2006 and was held She added: “We hope by reaching out to Until now, there has been no information in isolation for several months. According human rights organisations, such as Justice given to Ali Heydarian's family about the to other prisoners on his ward, he was re­ for Iran, we can find a new light in this en­ place of burial and no death certificate has peatedly tortured, and as a result, his shoul­ dless nightmare.” been In confirmation of his execution. der was broken. Farhad was sentenced to death during his short trial in February Ali Heydarian was arrested alongside Far- 2007. zad Kamangar in August 2006 in Tehran by

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fî|lIk 20 août 2019

TRIBUNE par Aldar Xelil, membre du comité exécutif du Mouvement pour une société démocratique (Tev-Dem), et l'une des principales per­ sonnalités de l'auto-administration du nord-est de la Syrie. Nord-est de la Syrie : la menace turque Un des plus hauts dirigeants kurde de Syrie, Aldar Xelil, lance un appel à la France pour empêcher l'occupation turque de la région.

Tribune. Dans la période difficile que connaît actuellement le nord-est de la Syrie, la position et le rôle de la France sont d'une importance cruciale pour nous, Kurdes, Arabes et chrétiens qui avons vaincu l'EI et libéré toute cette région de son joug.

Daesh représentait un immense danger pour la Syrie et le Moyen-Orient, mais aussi pour le reste du monde. C'est pourquoi la France a été victime - comme d'autres pays - du terrorisme et que nombre d'innocents ont péris dans les attentats menés sur son sol. C'est grâce à nos victoires militaires - celles des Forces démo­ cratiques syriennes - et aux 36 000 tués et bles­ sés dans nos rangs pendant les sept années de cette guerre terrible, que la défaite de l'EI a pu être annoncée officiellement le 23 mars. Cette victoire a été, d'une certaine manière, celle du monde entier. Une victoire de l'humanité. Et une revanche pour toutes les victimes de l'EI, françaises comprises. Aujourd'hui, nous sommes entrés dans une nouvelle séquence de notre histoire, tout aussi importante que la précédente : nous devons lutter contre les sources idéologiques du radi­ calisme prôné par Daesh. La persistance de Un manifestant kurde près de la frontière turque, au nord-est de la Syrie. Photo Delil Souleiman. AFP cette mentalité constitue un danger considé­ rable pour l'avenir. C'est la première chose vahir pour freiner les avancées de notre lutte claires de la part de nos amis. Des positions qu'il nous faut combattre, sans quoi nous as­ totale contre le terrorisme - lutte que l'ensem­ permettant de soutenir notre peuple dans son sisterons au retour de l'extrémisme et à de ble de notre peuple, avec toutes ses compo­ expérience démocratique, dans ses efforts pour nouvelles menaces sur le monde. santes, mène au côté de la coalition stabiliser la région, dans sa lutte contre l'extré­ internationale. La Turquie représente un vrai misme sous ses différentes formes. Toute at­ Nous avons vu qu'elles pouvaient être les danger, soyez-en convaincus. Par ses menées taque turque contre notre région menacerait conséquences en France de la mentalité dont contre nous, vos alliés, elle met en péril nos ef­ ces objectifs en même temps que les valeurs je parle. Les opérations terroristes menées forts communs de stabilité dans les territoires démocratiques portées par nos pays respectifs contre vous étaient le résultat de l'adoption que nous avons libérés et dans toute la Syrie. et le reste du monde. par certaines catégories de votre population de N'oubliez pas que les Turcs continuent d'im­ Le gouvernement français peut réduire ces la pensée et de la mentalité de Daesh - et cela poser la présence des milices islamistes qui risques en empêchant la Turquie de nous atta­ malgré l'absence d'un quartier général mili­ leur sont inféodées dans les territoires dont ils quer. C'est ce que nous lui demandons. Lors taire de l'EI en France. Pour nous, cela se sont déjà emparés. Erdogan veut accentuer de l'invasion turque de notre canton d'Afrin il confirme l'idée que la seule victoire militaire leur occupation et renforcer son contrôle sur y a un an et demi, la position de la France avait est insuffisante contre un péril de ce type. tout ce qu'il pourra de la Syrie. été positive. Hélas, elle n'a pas eu d'effets Nous espérons profondément que l'opinion concrets : l'armée turque fait subir aux habi­ La France est un pays important qui a pleine­ publique française est consciente de ce danger tants d'Afrin un génocide intellectuel, phy­ ment contribué à la lutte contre l'extrémisme. et que le président Emmanuel Macron, ainsi sique et social qui se poursuit tous les jours Elle nous a soutenus de bout en bout au sein que l'équipe qu'il a mise en place pour suivre dans l'indifférence générale. de la coalition internationale, jusqu'à la vic­ le dossier syrien, sont convaincus du danger Notre peuple ne demande que la paix. S'il a toire, nous permettant d'établir dans le nord et représenté par Erdogan, qui ne cesse aussi combattu le terrorisme international, c'est l'est de la Syrie une administration autonome d'utiliser la carte des réfugiés installés chez lui parce qu'il n'avait pas d'autre choix et il l'a fait grâce à laquelle nous tentons de construire une comme arme de représailles contre l'Europe. au nom de l'humanité. Il a consenti à de expérience démocratique pionnière en Syrie. Le peuple français est un peuple ami pour grands sacrifices pour cela et il est prêt à en ac­ Mais aujourd'hui, cette victoire est menacée nous. Il a subi le terrorisme que notre peuple a cepter d'autres. Mais il faut que la commu­ par les visées expansionnistes de la Turquie subi. Nos ennemis sont les mêmes, qu'ils s'ap­ nauté internationale nous aide et accomplisse sur ces régions que nous avons libérées. Pour pellent Daesh ou Erdogan. Il ne faut pas négli­ son devoir sans plus tarder en empêchant une justifier qu'il puisse nous attaquer, Erdogan ger les ambitions de l'Etat turc. occupation de notre région par la Turquie. prétend sans cesse que nous l'agressons, ce qui Le défi auquel nous faisons face en ce moment En la matière, la France et son peuple peuvent est totalement faux, tout le monde le sait. Pour même est donc un défi difficile à relever. Pour jouer un rôle déterminant. Nous faisons appel nous, il est clair qu'il a la volonté de nous en- y parvenir, nous avons besoin de positions à elle.

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♦ ”< UNREPRESENTED — « NATIONS S PEOPLES AllQ20 2019 « ORGANIZATION ♦ — ♦ unpo.org *‘Ub “'-'T “V17 Iranian Kurdistan: Open Letter to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Sweden and Norway

n the 17th of August 2019, UNPO Member the Democratic Party of Ira­ nian Kurdistan (PDKI) has sent an open Oletter to the Finnish, Swedish and Norwegian Ministries of Foreign Affairs on the occasion of a planned visit of the Iranian Foreign Minister to these countries. The letter calls upon Finland, Sweden and Norway to take a firm stance against the Iranian regime's systematic violations of the human rights of the Kurdish people, which has manifested itself in various ways. This is an issue that should be of interest to the Scandinavian countries themselves, as Iran's internal human rights violations have also extended outwards to European countries, where the Kurdish diaspora, many of whom reside in Scandinavia, continues to be the victim of intimidation, targeted attacks and assassinations. In addition, Iran, alongside other repressive regimes, continues to target ac­ tivists engaged at the United Nations.

Below is an open letter released by the PDKI: It is high time for Finland, Norway and Sweden, important actors committed to human rights and lasting peace and stability, to consider the fact Picture courtesy of David Holt @Flickr that the Iranian regime's internal and external policies are linked and cannot be separated. prisons or in public. However, the unofficial fig­ since Iran's intelligence agency is widely sus­ Western policy has aimed at changing the “be­ ure is estimated to be much higher. It is also pected to facilitate the distribution of narcotics havior” of the Iranian regime. This has almost worth mentioning that a disproportionate number among Kurdish youths. It should be mentioned exclusively aimed at the Iranian regime's exter­ of prisoners to have been executed are Kurds. that 70 percent of the population in Iranian Kurd­ nal behavior. For example, it seems to be current istan are under the age of 40. Experts believe Iran EU policy to separate the nuclear issue from the At the same time, the human rights violations in intends to destroy the fabric of Kurdish society broader and interconnected internal and external Iranian Kurdistan are systematic and manifest by facilitating the distribution of drugs among problems emanating from the Islamic Republic. themselves in other ways than in the execution Kurdish youths as part of its strategy to under­ However, systematic human rights violations at figures. The Iranian state extracts the natural re­ mine the Kurdish national movement. home, the quest for nuclear weapons, support for sources of Kurdistan and at the same time pur­ various terrorist groups, interference in the inter­ sues a deliberate policy of keeping Kurdistan in Alongside the various forms of human rights nal affairs of other countries, destabilization of a state of economic underdevelopment. Thus, violations, oppression and discrimination are important parts of the Middle East and so on are poverty and unemployment have forced a grow­ constant elements in Kurdistan and other non­ interconnected and need to be addressed as such. ing number of Kurds to carry goods on their Persian regions in Iran. Numerous reports, com­ backs from Iraqi Kurdistan to Iranian Kurdistan piled by Amnesty International and other human Iran has during the past four decades systemati­ as their only source of income. Iran's Islamic rights organizations, have documented that the cally targeted the non-Persian communities and Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) targets non-Persian nations, including Kurds, Baluchs, subjected them to all sorts of oppression and vi­ these individuals, known as “Kolbar” (meaning Ahwazi Arabs, Azerbaijani Turks, and Turkmen, olence, ranging from systematic linguistic, cul­ those who carry goods on their backs) in Kurd­ are subject to entrenched oppression and dis­ tural, economic, social and political oppression istan. crimination, curtailing their access to employ­ to forced demographic change as well as forced ment, political office, and their exercise of assimilation. Figures from various human rights organizations cultural, civil and political rights. Members of show that since the year 2014, the number of these nationalities who spoke out against vio­ However, the political and security situation in Kolbars killed and injured by Iranian paramili­ lations of their rights face arbitrary arrest, torture Iran has in many respects even worsened during tary forces and the terrorist Islamic Revolution­ and other ill-treatment, grossly unfair trials, im­ the past couple of years, especially when it ary Guard Corps (IRGC) has increased annually. prisonment, and in some cases the death penalty. comes to the status of the different non-Persian In 2018 alone, at least 231 Kolbars were either nations and human rights violations. The 2013 killed or seriously wounded due to indiscrimi­ The international community has over the years election of Hassan Rouhani, painted as a “mod­ nate shootings from the regime's paramilitary remained silent in the face of these human rights erate”, was expected to result in a reduction of and so-called border security forces. violations carried out by the Islamic Republic of human rights abuses in the Islamic Republic of Iran against the Kurdish people. The Democratic Iran. Yet, the human rights situation in Iran has Furthermore, according to Iranian authorities Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) calls on the worsened dramatically. For example, according more than 2.2 million Iranians are drug addicts. Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish governments to the Iran Human Rights Organization (IHRO), The situation in Iranian Kurdistan is so alarming to take a firm stance against the Iranian regime's the Islamic Republic has executed at least 110 in that regard that activists as well as the general repeated and ongoing violations of the human people between January 1 and June 30, 2019, in public describe it in terms of a “white genocide” rights of the Kurdish people.

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20/08/2019 AL MO N ITS R Shivan Ibrahim Syrian schools continue to struggle with Kurdish curriculum mid repeated school closings and reopen­ ings in the Kurdish-led autonomous admin­ istration of north and east Syria (widely Aknown as Rojava), the Kurdish language is now being taught in most parts of the Jazira region. Ho­ wever, going down that particular road was — and still is — complicated, to say the least.

In 2012, after the Kurdish Language Institute de­ cided to teach Kurdish in schools across Jazira, the Ministry of Education affiliated with the Syrian re­ gime shut those schools down. The Kurdish nation­ alist Democratic Union Party (PYD) then had the doors broken down to keep giving Kurdish lessons.

The two sides subsequently agreed that three Kurd­ ish courses per week would be taught to ninth-grade students and five courses to seventh- and eighth- grade students instead of Arabic, computer, social sciences and science courses.

In 2015, the Kurdish-led autonomous administra­ Kurdish students attend class at a school in Qamishli, Syria, March 11, 2019. REUTERS/Issam tion replaced the Syrian regime's primary education Abdallah curriculum with its own in the areas it controlled. This led the regime's Education Ministry to prevent The autonomous administration imposed these cur­ its teachers from cooperating, causing primary edu­ ricula on Kurdish families as well as a small “The curriculum is valid as long as the state is valid, cation courses to be suspended. Meanwhile, schools number of Arab and Syriac students whose parents legitimate and recognized. When a state, an area or in areas under regime control taught classes as work for the administration. Many oppose the cur­ a system is no longer recognized, the curricula and usual. riculum and have refused to comply. the diplomas become unrecognized, and students lose the right to go to university to complete their Also in 2015, the Rojava administration developed Rojava school diplomas are not recognized by any studies. In other words, the future of the region in the Democratic Society Education System, which higher educational institution. northeastern Syria is vague and not clearly defined, includes educational bodies in the area, the Kurdish Al-Monitor met Aug. 3 with Samira Haj Ali, co­ and no university recognizes the autonomous ad­ Language Institute, and Kurdish teaching aca­ chair of the Education Authority in Rojava, who ministration curriculum.” demies and institutes. said the people's recognition is what matters the most. Haj Ali said, “There are 20,913 autonomous admin­ This system is in place across the autonomous area. istration teachers in the Jazira region spread across Its basic principle is that Arabs should learn Arabic “A lot of significant countries and universities are 1,652 primary schools, 405 preparatory schools and during the first three years of school, and Kurds visiting us, which is a kind of recognition. We 86 secondary schools. Schools where primary and should learn Kurdish. Based on the system, a local shouldn't wait for people to come to us and say they secondary education is available amount to 82.” He language is introduced in the fourth grade. recognize us. Real recognition emanates from those added that there are “200,901 primary education involved,” she added. students, 24,820 preparatory education students and In other words, Kurdish students start learning Ar­ 4,768 high school students.” abic in the fourth grade, and Arab students start Shatha al-Wafi is a second-grade preparatory stu­ learning Kurdish. Starting from the sixth grade and dent who used to attend the Suez Canal Middle But a source in the regime's Education Ministry until students graduate, French or English courses School in east Qamishli. Even though she lives very questioned those figures and told Al-Monitor on are introduced. near the school, her parents refuse to send her there, condition of anonymity that many schools under the so now she travels a long way to go to a regime auspices of the autonomous administration are ac­ The course, called National Education, has been school instead. tually teaching the regime curriculum. abolished under this system and replaced by the Democratic Nation course. In addition, geography “I don't understand my courses [because] there are The source added that because it's difficult to ac­ and history courses have been adjusted, and the Is­ a lot of students in class and the noise is annoying. commodate all the students who want to attend re­ lamic Education course was replaced by one called But my father tells me, 'What's important is to get gime schools, the regime has turned some the History of Religious Beliefs. As these courses a recognized diploma regardless of the hardships.' I government centers into temporary schools in Qa- are taught in Kurdish, this has affected the Kurdish want to complete my studies at the University of mishli and Hasakah "security squares" — areas pro­ students' Arabic skills. Damascus, which is an ancient and recognized uni­ tected by the regime where security and military versity,” she told Al-Monitor. institutions and schools affiliated with the regime Of note, these curricula are taught only in public can be found. schools — not private schools affiliated with reli­ Fred Saadoun, who has a doctorate in Arabic litera­ gious institutions. ture, told Al-Monitor, “The educational system is Classes designed for 30 or 35 students are accom­ part of the state system. It is subject to a specific modating as many as 80, despite an increase in the The Rojava administration in 2015 began imposing law and a clear constitution set by the state. There number of dropouts, which was 161,600 in 2018. its curriculum on primary classes only, but it is ex­ is a law in each state that regulates the education That figure is likely to increase this year, the source panding the courses to some secondary students be­ process based on a specific format.” said, adding, “Students in regime schools located ginning this academic year and will add others for in security squares and areas under the control of 2020-21. Saadoun said legitimacy is key to preserve the fu­ the regime amount to approximately 496,400 in ture of students. total.”

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HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH August 20, 2019 Turkey: 3 Kurdish Mayors Removed from Office Violates Voters' Rights; Suspends Local Democracy in Major Southeast Cities

(London) - The Turkish Interior Ministry's remo­ val of three democratically elected mayors in the major municipalities of the Kurdish southeast and eastern regions blatantly violates the rights of voters and suspends local democracy, Human Rights Watch said today.

The Interior Ministry on August 19, 2019, re­ moved the mayor of Diyarbakir, Adnan Selçuk Mizrakli; the mayor of Mardin, Ahmet Türk; and the mayor of Van, Bedia Ozgokçe Ertan, accusing them of supporting terrorism. All three mayors are from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP). The three mayors should be allowed to resume their posts immediately.

“President Erdogan's government has effectively cancelled the results of the March local elections in the three main cities of the Kurdish southeast and east by removing voters' chosen mayors, all valid candidates, and taking over these munici­ palities,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and The elected mayors from the main southeastern municipalities removed by Turkey's interior ministry Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. on August 19, 2019; from left to right: Mardin mayor Ahmet Türk; Diyarbakir mayor Adnan Selçuk “Smearing the mayors by alleging vague links Mizrakli; Van mayor Bedia Ozgokçe Ertan. © 2019 private with terrorism to deprive the Kurdish population of their chosen representatives endangers every­ lawful detention of Selahattin Demirtag, former pro-Kurdish Democratic Regions Party (DBP) one in Turkey who is committed to democratic co-chair and HDP member of parliament, the were subsequently removed, and many were elections, human rights, and the rule of law.” court found in 2018 that his detention “pursued held in prolonged pretrial detention. Turk, a vet­ the predominant ulterior purpose of stifling plu­ eran Kurdish politician, was previously stripped The Interior Ministry justified substituting gov­ ralism and limiting freedom of political debate, of office as elected mayor of the Mardin greater ernment-appointed provincial governors in each which is at the very core of the concept of a dem­ municipality under that decree and arrested in municipality because the mayors face investiga­ ocratic society.” November 2016. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tions and legal proceedings under terrorism laws made a speech in February, in advance of the for their speeches and non-violent political activ­ The three mayors won their seats in the March 31 March elections, in which he stated that mayors ities. None have received a final conviction. local election, with Mizrakli winning 63 percent found to be linked with terrorism could be re­ of the vote, Türk 56 percent, and Ozgokçe Ertan moved once again. Abusive prosecutions and investigations for 53 percent. It is the second time that elected overly broad and vague terrorism offenses are mayors in the southeastern part of the country These moves by Erdogan's government against widely used in Turkey to silence and arbitrarily have been removed from office and replaced with democratically elected officials violate Turkey's detain government critics, journalists, human Ankara appointees. obligations under international and regional rights defenders, and opposition politicians, human rights law, Human Rights Watch said. The Human Rights Watch said. In September 2016, the Law on Municipalities moves violate the right to political participation, was changed under a state of emergency decree the right to free elections, and the right to free­ The European Court of Human Rights has to facilitate the removal of mayors accused of ter­ dom of expression under the International Cov­ harshly criticized Turkey for its actions in pur­ rorism links and their substitution with provin­ enant on Civil and Political Rights and the suing baseless terrorism charges against elected cial governors. Ninety-four mayors from the European Convention on Human Rights. members of parliament. In one example, the un-

PS 20/08/2019 TURQUIE : le Parti socialiste condamne les dernières arrestations de maires kurdes

Le Parti socialiste dénonce vigoureusement la sonnes, essentiellement des conseillers et em­ des gouverneurs fidèles à Ankara - une dou­ suspension le 19 août 2019, des maires de ployés municipaux, ont été arrêtées dans 29 zaine de maires issus du HDP et les deux vice- Diyarbakir, Mardin et Van, municipalités si­ provinces, toujours au nom de la lutte contre présidents de ce parti sont toujours incarcérés. tuées dans le sud-est de la Turquie à majorité le terrorisme. kurde. Le Parti socialiste condamne ce nouveau coup Le Parti socialiste réaffirme que la lutte contre porté à la démocratie et réitère ses vives préoc­ le terrorisme ne justifie ni ces atteintes à la dé­ Démocratiquement élus le 31 mars au nom du cupations face à l'acharnement du pouvoir mocratie ni l'oppression du peuple kurde, en Parti démocratique des peuples (HDP), ils ont contre toute opposition démocratique, et en rien concerné. La situation appelle une été remplacés arbitrairement par des gouver­ particulier contre le HDP. Depuis trois ans, une condamnation forte de la France et de l'Union neurs nommés par l'État. En parallèle, 418 per­ centaine de maires ont ainsi été remplacés par européenne.

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20 août 2019 Le Conseil de l'Europe réagit à la suspension des Maires kurdes par le gouvernement turc

nders Knape, Président du Congrès 106, ont été des­ des Pouvoirs locaux et régionaux du titués et un grand Conseil de l'Europe, s'est dit préoc­ nombre arrêtés, Acupé de la suspension par le gouvernement de même que de turc des Maires HDP (Parti démocratique nombreux des Peuples) de Diyarbakir,Van et Mardin. conseillers muni­ cipaux. Au- « Je suis très préoccupé par la décision des j o u r d ' h u i , autorités turques de suspendre de leurs beaucoup sont fonctions les maires élus de trois villes mé­ encore détenus, à tropolitaines du sud-est du pays, à savoir l'instar de l'an­ Diyarbakir, Mardin et Van, et de les rempla­ cienne Co-maire cer par des gouverneurs », a déclaré Anders de Diyarbakir, Knape dans un communiqué publié au­ Gultan Kisanak. jourd'hui, 20 août, sur le site du Conseil de Aux élections du l'Europe. 31 mars dernier, le HDP a réussi à Lundi 19 août, Selçuk Mizrakli, Bedia Oz- récupérer 63 Mai­ gokçe Ertan et Ahmet Türk, respectivement Le Conseil de l'Europe réagit à la suspension des Maires kurdes par le ries. Suite aux Co-maires de Diyarbakir, Van et Mardin, ont gouvernement turc destitutions, il été destitués de leur mandat par décision du n'en a plus que ministre de l'intérieur turc, 5 mois après leur Soulignant que les Maires destitués ont été 60. élection. Accusés de « terrorisme », ils ont élus démocratiquement aux élections lo­ Pour conclure, le Président du Congrès a in­ été remplacés par des préfets désignés le cales du 31 mars 2019, M. Knape a par ail­ vité la Turquie à remédier à « cette pratique jour-même par le gouvernement. Dans le leurs rappelé que le Congrès avait, par le [qui] compromet gravement le bon fonc­ même temps, le ministère de l'intérieur an­ passé, exprimé sa préoccupation concernant tionnement de la démocratie locale » et nonçait l'arrestation de 418 personnes. « le recours excessif aux procédures judi­ ajouté que l'institution continuerait « de Parmi elles, figurent de nombreux conseil­ ciaires contre les élus locaux en Turquie ». suivre cette situation de près, en particulier lers municipaux, ainsi que des dirigeants et lors de sa prochaine réunion à Strasbourg le membres du HDP. A partir de 2016, 95 Co-maires du HDP, sur 11 septembre 2019 ».

LE'FIGARO Turquie: la police empêche des manifestations après la destitution de maires prokurdes

a police a dispersé plusieurs manifesta­ Les maires HDP (Parti démocratique des tance des manifestations qui se tiennent de­ tions mercredi dans le sud-est à majo­ peuples) de Diyarbakir, Adnan Selçuk Miz- puis lundi. rité kurde de la Turquie, après la rakli, de Mardin, Ahmet Türk, et de Van, «Le principal problème c'est l'attitude du Ldestitution par les autorités des maires proBedia­ Ozgokçe Ertan, ont été démis de leurs HDP qui a défié l'Etat en nommant comme kurdes de trois importantes villes de la région. fonctions dans la nuit de dimanche à lundi, maires des gens qui font déjà l'objet de accusés d'activités «terroristes». poursuites judiciaires», a-t-il insisté. «Ils Au moins 200 personnes ont manifesté à traitent la démocratie comme un cheval de Diyarbakir, principale ville du sud-est de la Autorisés par les autorités à se présenter Troie». Le gouverneur de Van, Mehmet Turquie, pour protester contre le remplace­ aux élections municipales du 31 mars, ils Emin Bilmez, a par ailleurs dissout mercredi ment lundi de leur maire par le gouverneur avaient remporté le scrutin respectivement l'assemblée municipale de la ville, à majorité nommé par le gouvernement. Sept per­ avec 63%, 56% et 54% des voix. Le président HDP, ce qui lui permet de diriger seul la sonnes ont été arrêtées lors de cette marche, Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuse régulièrement mairie. Plus de 500 membres et sympathi­ selon un correspondant de l'AFP sur place, le HDP d'être lié au Parti des travailleurs du sants du HDP protestant contre la destitu­ et la police a ensuite dispersé à l'aide de ca­ Kurdistan (PKK), une organisation classée tion des trois maires ont été arrêtés depuis nons à eau un rassemblement qui s'était terroriste par Ankara et ses alliés occiden­ lundi, a affirmé à l'AFP une source au sein constitué devant la mairie. Les manifestants taux. Mais le parti affirme être visé en raison du parti. Par ailleurs, le gouvernorat de Si- ont finalement organisé un sit-in, rapide­ de son opposition virulente au gouverne­ nark, une province située près des frontières ment encerclé par environ 500 policiers, ment. Lors d'un briefing avec la presse syrienne et irakienne, a annoncé mercredi ajoute le correspondant. étrangère à Istanbul, le ministre de l'Inté­ qu'un soldat a été tué et trois ont été blessés rieur Süleyman Soylu a minimisé l'impor­ dans des affrontements avec le PKK.

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•hianet 21/08/2019 BAGiMSlziLETi$iMA, Evrim Kepenek Trustee Dissolves Van Metropolitan Municipal Council with an SMS

ppointed as a trustee to the Metro­ politan Municipality of Van after Mayor Bedia Ozgokçe Ertan has Abeen removed from office, Governor of Van Mehmet Emin Bilmez has dissolved the municipal council and informed the members about the decision with an SMS.

Trustee Bilmez has also stated that the duties and authorities of the dissolved mu­ J nicipal council will be undertake by the municipal committee. fin I * He sent an SMS to municipal iZl -4L r 1 » lf If council members .(I W . A j iviciunci cumi oïL-ivicz., Duyur^ciui Belediye Baçkan Vekili olarak gôrevlendirilmiçtir

5393 sayili Kanunun 45. maddesinin 2'inci fikrasi gere^ince bundan bôyle Belediye Meclisinin gôrev ve Trustee Dissolves Van Metropolitan Municipal Council with an SMS yetkileri Belediye Encümeni Governor of Van Bilmez, who has been appointed as a trustee to the Municipality of Van, has dissol­ tarafindan yürütülecektir ved the municipal council. Speaking to bianet, council members have denounced the decision: “The Bu nedenle 19/08/2019-23/08/2019 aim is to make the municipality dysfunctional.” tarihleri arasinda yapilacagi ilan edilen Büyükçehir Belediye Meclis "On the day when a trustee was ap­ "Normally and legally, the municipal pointed, they prevented us from entering council can convene and decide to dissolve Üyelerinin katilacagi toplantimn the municipality. On this day, he chose the itself. (...) However, they do not even rec­ yapilmayacagi bilgilerinize B002 permanent municipal committee. He ognize their own laws. The appointed chose these people among the municipal­ trustee can dissolve the council. It is an The municipal council members have ity bureaucrats. We cannot understand utterly unlawful action. The primary objec­ been informed about the dissolution of the how he made this selection in such a short tive is to make the Municipality dysfunc­ council with an SMS. Indicating that Gov­ time. tional. ernor of Van Mehmet Emin Bilmez has been appointed as an Acting Metropolitan "Now, he has transferred our authorities to "The trustee appointed to people's will can Mayor, the message has stated that the them. We regard it as an unlawfulness and act as he wishes and dissolve the council. I municipal council has been dissolved as do not accept it. Among the municipal do not accept this unlawfulness. To top it per the 2nd Additional Paragraph of the council members were also people from all, this message is sent from a mobile Article 45 of the Law no. 5393 on Munici­ the Justice and Development Party (AKP). phone, which means that it can only be an palities. That being the case, he has dissolved them informative message. It should not have a as well. legal return. It is also legally like that." In his message, trustee Bilmez has also in­ formed the members that the municipal "Something similar happened before. 27 members were from the AKP They committed the same unlawfulness. council meetings to be be held between The Council of Van Metropolitan Munici­ We were administered like that for two August 19 and 23 and to be attended by the pality had 71 members. While 44 of these council members will not take place. years. We experienced this unlawfulness members were from the HDP, the ruling before." AKP had 27 members. 'They committed the same un­ 'They do not even recognize When a trustee was appointed in 2016 after lawfulness before' their own laws' the declaration of the State of Emergency, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Group the municipal council was dissolved again Speaking to bianet, municipal council and the municipal affairs were undertaken Deputy Chair of the municipal council member Cemil Komi has described the by the municipal committee members. ismet Tan has also denounced the decision decision as unlawful and stated the follow­ (EMK/SD) ing in brief: and stated that he has not received such a message. Tok has said,

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Ekurd Da uly: August 22, 2019 U.S. concerned over Turkey's removal of Kurdish mayors

WASHINGTON,— The US State Department tan, the Kurdish region in the southeast of the on Wednesday called the removal of three de­ country, against the ousting of three Kurdish mocratically elected mayors from the Kurdish mayors five months after they were elected. Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in Turkey “obviously concerning.” Turkish police on Wednesday blocked protests over the government's sacking of three U.S. Department of State spokesperson Mor­ mayors. gan Ortagus said during a press briefing “I think in general, anywhere in the world, it's al­ The government says the HDP is a political ways concerning when you see the removal of front for the PKK, which has waged an insur­ elected officials and then their replacement by gency against the Turkish state since 1984. unelected officials.” The HDP denies such links and says it is being On Monday the Turkish government removed targeted because of its opposition to the go­ three elected Kurdish mayors of Diyarbakir, vernment. Van, and Mardin from office over alleged links U.S. Department of State spokesperson Morgan to the Kurdistan Workers' Party PKK mili­ Ortagus, June 30, 2019. Photo: AP The PKK took up arms in 1984 against the Tur­ tants, and replaced them with state officials. kish state, which still denies the constitutional The US Embassy in Ankara said on Sunday it existence of Kurds, to push for greater auto­ Turkish police also carried out raids across 29 was concerned by reports of clashes in Kurdish nomy in Turkish Kurdistan for the Kurdish mi­ provinces and detained more than 400 people southeastern Turkey, after a government deci­ nority who make up around 22.5 million of for over alleged PKK ties in a step sharply cri­ sion to remove elected Kurdish mayors in two the country's 79-million population. More than ticised by opposition parties. The HDP party dozen municipalities on suspicion of links to 40,000 Turkish soldiers and Kurdish rebels, said the mayors' removal was a political coup Kurdish PKK militants. have been killed in the conflict. and that it is a hostile stance against the politi­ cal will of the Kurdish people. “We are concerned by reports of clashes in Tur­ A large Kurdish community in Turkey and key's southeast following the government's worldwide openly sympathise with PKK re­ “That's obviously concerning, right? So what decision to remove some elected local officials bels and Abdullah Ocalan, who founded the we hope is to see that Turkey resolves this mat­ from office on charges of supporting terrorism, PKK group in 1974 and currently serving a life ter in a way that is consistent with their and appoint local trustees in their place,” the sentence in Turkey, has a high symbolic value commitment to democracy, and we, of course, embassy said in a statement posted on Twitter. for most Kurds in Turkey and worldwide ac­ always encourage a broad approach in Tur­ cording to observers. key's engagement with the Kurdish communi­ On Tuesday Turkish riot police use batons, ties.” she said. fired water cannon and tear gas to disperse (With files from AFP | Reuters) protesters demonstrating in Turkish Kurdis­

V’ - 24/08/2019 5 RUDAW By Salim Ibrahim PKK leader praises Masoud Barzani's comments on intra-Kurdish conflict

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A high-ranking Kur­ The PKK is an armed group fighting for greater po­ “The statements we made and those made by Mr distan Workers' Party (PKK) leader said he wel­ litical and cultural rights for Kurds in Turkey. The Masoud reduced tensions,” he said. “No practical comes Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) head KDP and PKK fought in the 1990s during the Kur­ steps have been taken yet, but we are hopeful.” Masoud Barzani's initiative to prevent intra-Kur­ dish civil war, and relations have been strained dish conflict. since then. The KDP has close economic ties with This was not the only statement by a Turkish Kur­ Turkey. dish leader on relations with the KRG lately. Follo­ Murat Karayilan said that he appreciated the KDP wing the removal of Kurdish mayors in Diyarbakir leader's statement because the Kurdish people's en­ The PKK has long based itself in the Qandil moun­ and other predominantly Kurdish cities in Turkey emies want to sow division among them. tains along the Kurdistan Region's borders with this month, a politician from the pro-Kurdish Turkey and Iran. Turkey routinely bombs apparent Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) called on KRG “This comes at a time where the enemy is trying to PKK targets there. president Nechirvan Barzani to address the situa­ play games and wants to create problems and crisis tion. among Kurdish parties,” Karayilan told the PKK- The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has affiliated Roj News. “The statement made by Mr said it has concerns about Turkey's airstrikes, “We also expect Mr Nechirvan Barzani to express Masoud Barzani is important and we concur with which have killed civilians. The KRG has also cal­ his position [on the issue] because whatever suffe­ his statement and appreciate it.” led on the PKK and others to respect the KRG's ter­ rings we Kurds have experienced in the past was ritorial integrity. due to the lack of alliance and unity,” said member Earlier this month, Barzani visited the Balakayati of the Turkish parliament Leyla Guven. district in the Kurdistan Region near the border with Karayilan said that there has been no action in re­ Iran and told locals and party members “Kurdish ducing tensions between Kurdish groups yet, but blood should not be shed by Kurds.” that Barzani's comments are a start.

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Rudaw 24/08/2019 ByKarwan Faidhi Dri

SDF calls on Syrian regime to talks about Kurdish rights

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdish-led Syr­ ian Democratic Forces (SDF) have called on the Syr­ ian regime to meet with them and address the Kurdish issue in the country, including political rights.

SDF military commander Mazlum Abdi made the call for talks in Hasakah today, according to the SDF-af- filiated ANHA news outlet.

"We ask Damascus to negotiate with representatives of the Autonomous Administration [of North and East Syria or NES] and the Syrian Democratic Forces," said Abdi. "And to favor a political solution, on the principle of recognizing democratic self-administra­ tions and recognizing the legitimate rights of the Kurdish people within Syria."

The NES is in control of much of north and east of Syria - as indicated in its name - and is dominated by the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD).

Abdi did not elaborate whether any of their del­ egations have been accepted or declined by the Syrian regime. General Mazloum Kobani Abdi led the campaign against Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria, forging a However, some of their delegations met with the re­ partnership between scrappy local militias and élite U.S. forces. Then Trump withdrew the American. gime officials in summer 2018 to discuss electricity Photo: Delil Souleiman/AFP infrastructure and military collaboration.

A senior commander of the SDF told AFP in May However, when the Syrian war broke out in 2011, the reaching a solution with the regime over Kurdish regime largely refused to fight the Kurdish People's Syrian officials have occasionally declared their intent rights is "inevitable." Protection Units' (YPG), the armed wing of the PYD to take back these Kurdish-led areas from the YPG. and the backbone of the SDF. The YPG has more often Regime and Kurdish forces fought over the city of Ha- "Reaching a solution between the autonomous admin­ fought Turkish-backed rebel forces and the Islamic sakah in 2016, for example. NES leaders have asked istration and the Syrian government is inevitable be­ State (ISIS). for Kurdish autonomy in Syria. cause our areas are part of Syria," said SDF spokesman Redur Khalil at the time. Assad's Syrian Arab Army (SAA), with some excep­ Abdi reiterated that they want to establish an army for tions, left Kurdish areas for the YPG in order to fight a "unified free Syria" in his comments today. Kurds have been marginalized in Syria for decades by opposition groups in other Arab-populated areas, like Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and before him, his Damascus and Aleppo. This allowed the YPG to carve "This meeting will be the basis for building a military father, Hafez. The Baath regime refuses to issue iden­ out an autonomous region for Kurds, Arabs, Christians force that will guarantee a unified free Syria," he said. tity cards for a considerable number of Kurds. and others living in the northeast. LOBS 24 août 2019 "Zone de sécurité" Hassaké (Syrie) (AFP) - Les Kurdes de Syrie ont af­ firmé samedi qu'ils allaient coopérer en vue de la en Syrie: les Kurdes prêts à coopérer "réussite" d'une "zone de sécurité" qui doit être mise en place par Ankara et Washington à la frontière avec "Les FDS joueront un rôle positif pour le succès de l'application du mécanisme de sécurité", a-t-il estimé. la Turquie. cette opération", a-t-il ajouté lors d'une conférence de presse à Hassaké, dans le nord-est du pays en Le 7 août, Washington et Ankara se sont mis d'accord L'instauration de cette zone tampon, qui doit être éta­ guerre. sur la création d'un "centre d'opérations conjointes", blie dans le nord-est syrien pour séparer les territoires basé en Turquie, pour coordonner la mise en place kurdes de la Turquie, avait été proposée par les Etats- Participait également à la conférence de presse le gé­ de cette "zone de sécurité". Unis pour dissuader Ankara de lancer une nouvelle néral Nicholas Pond, un représentant de la coalition offensive contre la principale milice kurde de Syrie. internationale emmenée par Washington pour lutter Ses contours sont pour le moment flous --notamment contre l'EI. sa profondeur--, et aucun calendrier n'a été avancé Cette milice, fer de lance de l'alliance arabo-kurde pour sa mise en place. des Forces démocratiques syriennes (FDS), a été un Il a souligné que l'initiative était "la seule voie pour Mi-août, le Pentagone avait indiqué que l'accord se­ partenaire clé de Washington dans la lutte contre le sécuriser la zone frontalière de manière durable". rait mis en oeuvre "par étape" mais que les premières groupe jihadiste Etat islamique (EI). Elle est toutefois opérations allaient commencer "rapidement". considérée par Ankara comme un "groupe terroriste". Vendredi soir, le commandement militaire américain au Moyen-Orient (Centcom) a annoncé sur son Ankara a assuré que des postes d'observations et des "Nous déploierons tous nos efforts pour garantir la compte Twitter que les FDS avaient détruit jeudi cer­ patrouilles conjointes étaient prévus. réussite de l'accord avec l'Etat turc, et (la réussite) des taines de leurs "fortifications militaires" à la fron­ efforts menés par les Etats-Unis", a déclaré samedi tière, photos à l'appui. Le régime de Damas a dénoncé une initiative au ser­ le haut commandant des FDS Mazloum Abdi. "Cela démontre l'engagement des FDS à soutenir vice des "ambitions expansionnistes de la Turquie".

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24 août 2019 Syrie : le "centre d'opérations conjointes" turco-américain opérationnel

e "centre d'opérations conjointes" turco- Cette milice, fer de lance de l'alliance arabo- américain sur la Syrie fonctionne dés­ kurde des Forces démocratiques syriennes ormais à "pleine capacité", a annoncé (FDS), a été un partenaire clé de Washington Lsamedi le ministre turc de la Défense, Hulusi dans la lutte contre le groupe jihadiste Etat isla­ Akar. mique (EI).

"Le centre d'opérations conjointes a commencé Mais elle est considérée par Ankara comme une à fonctionner à pleine capacité", a déclaré le mi­ extension en Syrie du Parti des Travailleurs du nistre, cité par l'agence étatique Anadolu. Kurdistan (PKK), classé "terroriste" par la Tur­ quie, mais aussi les Etats-Unis et l'Union euro­ Il a ajouté que le premier vol commun en héli­ péenne. coptère avait lieu samedi après-midi. Ministre turc de la Défense, Hulusi Akar Vendredi soir, le commandement militaire amé­ Sa déclaration survient peu après que la milice © AFP/Archives / Aris Oikonomou ricain au Moyen-Orient (Centcom) a annoncé kurde alliée des Etats-Unis mais qu'Ankara sur son compte Twitter que les FDS avaient dé­ considère comme "terroriste" a affirmé être prête rité" dans le nord-est de la Syrie pour séparer les truit jeudi certaines de leurs "fortifications mili­ à coopérer en vue de la "réussite" de la mise en territoires kurdes de la Turquie. taires" à la frontière, photos à l'appui. place d'une "zone de sécurité". Son instauration avait été proposée par les Etats- Les contours de la "zone de sécurité" sont pour Aux termes d'un accord conclu entre Ankara et Unis pour dissuader Ankara de lancer une nou­ le moment flous, et aucun calendrier n'a été Washington à l'issue de difficiles négociations, velle offensive contre les Unités de protection du avancé pour sa mise en place. le "centre d'opérations conjointes" vise à coor­ peuple (YPG). donner la mise en place de cette "zone de sécu-

I-It'd , August25, 2019 Knaw Yam- W'arlrt. Fresh PeiipecUwes in News Three Turkish soldiers killed, seven wounded in clash with PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan

gion, the Turkish istan on Sunday, local media reported. Sep­ defence ministry arately, an airstrike in Bakrman destroyed a said Sunday. car reportedly belonging to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). No casualties were The statement reported in either strike. came after Tur­ key on Friday The PKK took up arms in 1984 against the launched Turkish state, which still denies the consti­ the third phase of tutional existence of Kurds, to push for an operation greater autonomy in Turkish Kurdistan for begun in May to the Kurdish minority who make up root out fighters around 22.5 million of the country's 79-mil- of the Kurdish lion population. More than 40,000 Turkish Workers Party soldiers and Kurdish rebels, have been (PKK) in the re­ killed in the conflict. gion. A large Kurdish community in Turkey and It did not specify worldwide openly sympathise with PKK the location of rebels and Abdullah Ocalan, who founded the clashes. the PKK group in 1974 and currently serv­ ing a life sentence in Turkey, has a high sym­ Turkey began bolic value for most Kurds in Turkey and conducting a worldwide according to observers. ground offensive By Editorial Staff and bombing campaign against the PKK in the region in May. Copyright © 2019, respective author or ANKARA,— Three Turkish soldiers were news agency, Ekurd.net | AFP killed and seven were wounded in a clash Turkish warplanes conducted two airstrikes with Kurdish militants in Iraqi Kurdistan re- in Akre's Zrebar sub-district in Iraqi Kurd-

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Rudaw August 26, 2019 By Karwan Faidhi Dri No permanent Turkish army posts will be in buffer zone: SDF spokesperson

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A spokesper­ son for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) denied claims that Turkish troops will be allowed permanent posts in the proposed northern Syria buffer zone, adding that there will also be no Syrian proxies of Turkey or observation points in the area.

Mustafa Bali told Rojava Information Center, a monitor with ties to the SDF, that Turkish forces will enter the zone - but once they “complete the patrol, [they] will return to their country.”

Patrols will be conducted “perhaps once every fortnight, or once a month” over the duration of the buffer zone agreement, he added.

Bali's statement follows a claim by two un­ named Turkish officials - not wanting to be identified for fear of repercussions - who told Bloomberg on Sunday that the US has agreed to the deployment of two Turkish soldiers for every American soldier. ish and US commanders flew over the East News. of Euphrates on Saturday. Turkey has 12 observation points in the The two unnamed officials, who spoke to northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, fol­ “In addition, the destruction of terrorist em­ Bloomberg said that the US and Turkey lowing an agreement with Russia - the placements and fortifications began,” Akar have agreed on a 125km long, 15 km deep main backer of the Syrian regime. added. zone in Serekaniye [Ain al-Issa] and Tel- Abyad - two mostly Arab regions under the However, Bali said the construction of ob­ The US Central Command (CENTCOM) control of the Autonomous Administration servation points would not take place on said in a tweet a day earlier that the SDF of North and East Syria (NES), otherwise SDF-controlled territory. “destroyed military fortifications” on known as Rojava. Thursday “to support implementation of “Observation points will be built, but on the security mechanism framework.” They also claimed that Turkey has already Turkish soil. A system like they have in Idlib deployed 10 brigades to its borders with the is unacceptable,” he said. The depth and length of the buffer zone was SDF, in the first phase of a campaign to a point of contention between the US, Tur­ drive out all Kurdish fighters in Syria. US and Turkish military officials agreed on key and the SDF. Turkey demanded a 30-40 the establishment of a safe zone in northern kilometre-deep safe zone while both the US The SDF is primarily composed of the Kurd­ Syria, to be developed into a “peace corri­ and the SDF proposed one of up to 14 kilo­ ish People's Protection Units (YPG) - con­ dor” for the return of 3.6 million Syrian ref­ meters. sidered by Turkey as the Syrian offshoot of ugees in Turkey, on August 7. the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). However, Mazloum Abdi, commander of They also agreed to establish a joint opera­ the SDF, said on August 16 that they had The PKK and Turkey have been locked in a tion center in the province of Sanliurfa, on later demanded a longer and deeper safe four-decade long, often armed, struggle, the Turkish border with Syria, which began zone. killing over 40,000 people including civil­ operating at “full capacity” on Saturday, ac­ ians. Turkey considers the PKK - and by ex­ cording to Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi “If there is an agreement, it should cover all tension, the YPG - to be a terrorist Akar, reported the state-owned Anadolu areas of northeast Syria,” Abdi said in an in­ organization. Agency. The first helicopter carrying Turk- terview with the SDF-affiliated Hawar

78 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti rfï 27-08-2019 Syrie: retrait des milices kurdes dans le nord-est du pays

azloum Kobani, commandant en chef cord conclu entre Ankara et Washington pour la « Des points d'observation seront mis en place, des Forces démocratiques syriennes création d'une zone tampon entre la Turquie et la mais ils seront construits sur le sol turc, précise (FDS), à majorité kurde, lors d'une réu­ Syrie. Une zone de sécurité réclamée de longue date Mostafa Bali, porte-parole des FDS. Comme nous Mnion à Hasakah dans le nord-est de la Syrie, parle 24 les Turcs. Ils craignent d'une part l'afflux de l'avons dit, un système similaire à celui d'Idleb, août 2019. DELIL SOULEIMAN / AFP nouveaux réfugiés syriens et d'autre part, l'établis­ avec des points d'observation turcs sur le sol syrien, sement à leur frontière d'une vaste région autonome est inacceptable. Tout comme la possibilité pour Les milices kurdes présentes dans le nord-est de la kurde, pouvant encourager des velléités séparatistes l'armée turque de patrouiller en toute liberté. Syrie annoncent leur retrait de la frontière avec la sur leur sol. Seules les patrouilles conjointes turco-américaines Turquie. Elles laissent donc le champ libre à la créa­ pourront se déplacer le long de la route qui longe tion d'une zone tampon, voulue par les Turcs et les Les États-Unis, eux, veulent empêcher une offen­ la frontière entre la Turquie et la Syrie. » Américains. sive turque contre ces milices kurdes de Syrie, qui ont été de fidèles alliées dans la lutte contre l'orga­ Le porte-parole de FDS met en garde : « Ces pa­ Les milices kurdes commencent à retirer leurs nisation État islamique ces dernières années. trouilles turques auront la possibilité de franchir la troupes et leurs armes lourdes de certaines positions frontière, mais pas de rester en Syrie. Elles devront le long de la frontière entre la Syrie et la Turquie. Un dispositif comme à Idleb « inacceptable » à chaque fois regagner leur pays. Les armes dont C'est ce qu'affirme un porte-parole des FDS, cette pour les Kurdes nous disposons et qui pourraient constituer un dan­ force à majorité kurde qui occupe le nord-est du La création de cette zone tampon a été actée ce ger pour la Turquie, seront retirées de cette zone pays. mois-ci après de nombreuses discussions. Mais les frontalière. Nos combattants reculeront de 5 km. » détails de sa mise en œuvre restent encore à préci­ Ce retrait est un gage de bonne volonté après l'ac­ ser.

UWrient 27/08/2019 LE JOUR Editorial de Issa GORAIEB Début du retrait des forces kurdes de la frontière turque e président russe Vladimir Poutine a rencon­ Le régime de Damas a dénoncé une initiative au Hier, combattants rebelles et jihadistes ont attaqué tré hier son homologue turc Recep Tayyip service des « ambitions expansionnistes de la Tur­ des positions loyalistes dans le sud de la région, a Erdogan en marge d'un Salon aéronautique quie ». indiqué l'OSDH. « Des affrontements violents ont Lprès de Moscou. Alexey Nikolsky/Sputnik/AFP éclaté à l'est de Khan Cheikhoun à l'aube après des Lundi, les forces kurdes ont procédé à des retraits attaques menées par des groupes jihadistes et re­ Les autorités locales kurdes du nord-est de la Syrie similaires à Tal Abyad, « cela montre le sérieux de belles sur des positions du régime », a précisé le di­ ont annoncé hier le début du retrait de leurs forces notre engagement » en faveur de l'instauration de recteur de l'ONG, Rami Abdel Rahmane. L'attaque de positions le long de la frontière avec la Turquie, cette zone tampon, a encore indiqué hier l'adminis­ a été menée par les combattants de deux groupes ji- à la suite d'un accord entre Washington et Ankara tration semi-autonome kurde syrienne. hadistes, a-t-il ajouté. Les combats ont tué 23 établissant une « zone de sécurité ». Ces autorités combattants prorégime et 20 dans l'autre camp dont ont indiqué dans un communiqué que les travaux Rencontre Erdogan-Poutine 13 jihadistes, selon l'OSDH. De même source, huit avaient débuté samedi sur « les premiers pas pra­ rebelles ont en outre été tués dans le sud-ouest du tiques - dans le secteur de Ras al-Aïn - avec l'éli­ Parallèlement, les combats dans la région d'Idleb, bastion, alors qu'ils cherchaient à s'infiltrer près de mination de monticules de terre et le retrait de frontalière de la Turquie, que le régime tente de re­ positions du régime à proximité de l'aéroport mili­ certaines unités des Unités de protection du peuple prendre à des jihadistes et groupes rebelles avec le taire d'Abou Douhour. (YPG) et d'armes lourdes ». soutien de Moscou, ont fait au moins 51 morts dans les deux camps hier, selon l'Observatoire syrien des Cette offensive intervient malgré un accord sur une Principale milice kurde de Syrie et partenaire-clé droits de l'homme (OSDH). Une partie de la pro­ « zone démilitarisée », dévoilé en septembre 2018 des États-Unis dans la lutte contre le groupe jiha- vince d'Idleb (Nord-Ouest) et des secteurs adjacents par la Russie et la Turquie, parrain de groupes re­ diste État islamique, les YPG ont annoncé samedi des provinces d'Alep et de Lattaquié restent domi­ belles, pour séparer les zones gouvernementales des être prêts à coopérer en vue de la mise en place nés par les jihadistes de Hay'at Tahrir al-Cham territoires jihadistes et insurgés. d'une « zone de sécurité » pour séparer les secteurs (HTS, ex-branche syrienne d'el-Qaëda). Des kurdes syriens de la Turquie. Fruit d'un accord groupes rebelles proturcs y sont aussi présents. Moscou et Ankara partagent de « graves inquié­ conclu entre Washington et Ankara, l'instauration tudes » concernant la situation dans la région sy­ de cette zone tampon est destinée à dissuader la Tur­ Soutenues par l'aviation russe, les forces du régime rienne d'Idleb, a déclaré hier le président russe quie de lancer une nouvelle offensive contre la mi­ ont repris ces derniers jours plusieurs localités, Vladimir Poutine après une rencontre avec son ho­ lice des YPG, fer de lance des Forces démocratiques poursuivant leur offensive au sol lancée le 8 août, mologue turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan en marge d'un syriennes (FDS), mais considérée comme « terro­ après quatre mois de bombardements quasi quoti­ Salon aéronautique près de Moscou, ajoutant avoir riste » par Ankara. diens. Depuis mercredi dernier, ces forces du ré­ évoqué « des mesures communes supplémentaires » gime ont repris la ville-clé de Khan Cheikhoun, et pour « normaliser » la situation, sans donner plus Le 7 août, Washington et Ankara se sont mis d'ac­ plusieurs localités à Hama, au sud, y encerclant un de détails. La Turquie « prendra toutes les mesures cord sur la création d'un « centre d'opérations poste d'observation de l'armée turque. Elles ont nécessaires » pour protéger ses troupes déployées conjointes », basé en Turquie, pour coordonner la massé samedi des renforts à Khan Cheikhoun et vi­ dans la région d'Idleb, a prévenu de son côté le pré­ mise en place de cette « zone de sécurité ». sent désormais la région de Maarret al-Naaman, sident turc. plus au nord, selon « La situation s'est tellement compliquée qu'à Les contours de la zone tampon sont pour le mo­ l'heure actuelle nos militaires se trouvent en danger. ment flous - notamment sa profondeur - et aucun l'OSDH. Ces deux villes sont situées sur une auto­ Nous ne voulons pas que cela continue. Nous allons calendrier n'a été avancé pour sa mise en place. Mi- route reliant la capitale Damas à la grande ville du prendre à temps toutes les mesures nécessaires », a- août, le Pentagone avait indiqué que l'accord serait Nord, Alep, toutes deux tenues par le pouvoir de t-il déclaré. mis en œuvre « par étapes », mais que les premières Bachar el-Assad. opérations allaient commencer « rapidement ». Source : AFP

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LE'FIGARO 29/08/2019

Turquie: des maires prokurdes destitués dénoncent une «décision politique»

rois maires prokurdes déchus de leur servir le peuple par le putsch politique du trois maires auraient soutenu financière­ mandat en Turquie pour des accusa­ 19 août», a déclaré Ahmet Türk, maire ment le Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan tions de «terrorisme» ont qualifié déchu de Mardin et figure influente de la (PKK), un groupe qualifié par Ankara de Tjeudi leur destitution de «putsch politique»cause kurde. «C'est une décision politique «terroriste». Ahmet Türk a qualifié d'«infon- et affirmé qu'ils allaient saisir la justice pour qui vise à empêcher la lutte pour la démo­ dées» ces accusations. la contester. cratie du peuple kurde, à intimider le peuple et à stopper nos efforts pour amener Ankara a nommé des gouverneurs dans les Accusés d'activités «terroristes», les maires le changement en Turquie», a-t-il ajouté lors trois villes pour prendre en charge les admi­ HDP (Parti démocratique des peuples) de d'une conférence de presse à Istanbul. nistrations municipales. Diyarbakir, Adnan Selçuk Mizrakli, de Mar- Bedia Ozgokçe Ertan, qui s'exprimait elle din, Ahmet Türk, et de Van, Bedia Ozgokçe aussi lors de cette conférence de presse, a in­ Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuse régulière­ Ertan, ont été démis de leurs fonctions le 19 diqué que le HDP allait «épuiser toutes les ment le HDP d'être lié au PKK. Mais le parti août. La destitution des maires de ces trois voies légales» pour contester cette décision. affirme être visé en raison de son opposition importantes villes du sud-est à majorité virulente au gouvernement. Des dizaines de kurde de la Turquie, quelques mois après La semaine dernière, le président Recep responsables et élus du HDP ont été arrêtés leur victoire aux élections municipales du Tayyip Erdogan a défendu la destitution des dans le cadre des purges que mènent les au­ 31 mars, avaient provoqué des manifesta­ trois édiles, les accusant de s'être mis «au torités turques depuis une tentative de tions réprimées par la police. service de terroristes au lieu de servir la po­ putsch en 2016. pulation». Le ministère de l'Intérieur affirme «Nous avons été privés de l'opportunité de avoir reçu des plaintes selon lesquelles les

August 25-2019 By Karzan Sulaivany Kirkuk experiencing 'organized Arabization campaign': official

zed.” He noted both the Kurdistan Regional Government that official docu­ (KRG) and the Federal Government of Iraq. ments authorize the transfers to The former Iraqi Ba'ath regime, under Sad­ Kirkuk and offi­ dam Hussein's dictatorship, implemented cially consider the Arabization campaigns in Kirkuk province newcomers as resi­ and other Kurdish-populated areas in Nine­ dents of the gover­ veh, Salahuddin, and Diyala. norate. After the fall of the former Iraqi dictator in “I believe if this 2003, the lands were given back to their Kur­ continues in the dish and Turkmen owners when the Arabs next election, then, left voluntarily in exchange for a sum of after four years, money promised by the Iraqi Constitution. the Kurds will no longer remain the However, after Iraqi forces and Iran-backed majority in Kir- Hashd al-Shaabi militias pushed Kurdish Documents Kurdistan 24 received show a list of 600 Arab families who were kuk,” Raouf told Peshmerga forces from Kirkuk in late 2017, resettled in Kirkuk. (Photo: Kurdistan 24) Kurdistan 24. allegations of the forced displacement of Kurds began to emerge. Landowners were al­ ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - Official documents Since the Iraqi government's attack on Kir­ legedly told to vacate their properties by eth­ reveal the resettlement of 600 Arab families kuk and other disputed areas in October nically Arab claimants who had Saddam-era from southern and central parts of Iraq to the 2017, Arabs have been brought to the pro­ documents. disputed province of Kirkuk. vince from different regions in an attempt to implement the demographic changes. Several Kurdish officials have accused Rakan According to documents Kurdistan 24 recei­ Saeed, the Arab acting governor that was ins­ ved, 600 Arab families from the governorates The campaign is meant to change the demo­ talled at the time, of facilitating ethnically di­ of Salahuddin, Anbar, Maysan, and Baghdad graphy of the areas by forcibly displacing the visive policies in efforts to tip the balance were transferred and given residence in Kir­ Kurdish residents and replacing them with against Kurds. The Kurds have a majority of kuk over the past six months. Arabs from central and southern Iraq. seats in the Kirkuk Provincial Council (KPC) and, as a result, are entitled to choose Kir­ Rasul Raouf, a representative of the Socialist Kirkuk, an ethnically diverse province kuk's governor. Party in Kirkuk, said the process of resettling comprised mainly of Turkmen, Arabs, Chris­ Arabs in the disputed region “is very organi- tians, and a Kurdish majority, is claimed by

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30/08/2019 iaCroix Armelle Canitrot (à Arles (Bouches-du-Rhône) Des effacements de la culture kurde par le pouvoir turc

Dans une exposition à Arles, Émeric Lhuisset documente avec photographies et vidéos, les représailles turques contre les Kurdes et les risque d'anéantissement qui menace leur culture.

Un effacement culturel que l'on retrouve avec le pantalon traditionnel kurde que revêt le pho­ tographe, mais que plus personne n'ose porter par peur d'être arrêté, comme le révèle une vidéo prise à Diyarbakir.

19 lieux interdits Une sorte de road movie conduit jusqu'aux abords de 19 lieux interdits, tandis qu'une voix off en murmure l'histoire. Celle des Arméniens, des Assyriens, Chaldéens, des Grecs pontiques, des Alévis, des Kurdes., l'histoire d'un terri­ toire multiple et de massacres enfouis.

Un ouvrage (1) rappelle le passé de ces villes tout en dissimulant en son sein un journal. « Une œuvre réalisée en hommage aux médias disparus en raison de la censure. » Il montre les cieux de ces 19 sites qui, comme le suggère Ahmet Insel, journaliste et politologue turc, « nous interpellent et chuchotent à nos oreilles une interrogation: l'énergie morbide qui ali­ mente le cercle vicieux de l'extrême violence ne « Je suis parti sur les traces de ce que l'on essaye facement par les autorités turques du conflit provient-elle pas de ces disparitions succes­ de faire disparaître, de ce dont on ne peut pas avec les Kurdes. » sives, toutes niées et refoulées? ». parler, de ce que l'on ne veut pas montrer, ex­ plique Émeric Lhuisset, lauréat de la Résidence Poursuivant cette problématique de l'efface­ BMW aux Rencontres d'Arles. C'est une ré­ ment, Émeric Lhuisset s'intéresse aux villes en flexion sur la disparition de voies dissidentes, rébellion contre le régime turc qui, en repré­ Parole du commissaire de l'exposition, Fran­ çois Cheval d'individus, d'architectures, de cultures et sailles, a fait disparaître des quartiers entiers. même de peuples entiers. C'est l'histoire d'un Des zones interdites d'accès, mais dont il a saisi territoire construit sur la disparition. » « les quantités astronomiques de gravats hors «Le seul espace légitime de la photographie des villes ». contemporaine est d'affirmer son refus de la neutralité et de l'universalisation. Le destin des Ses amis turcs lui parlaient de ce pouvoir turc de plus en plus autoritaire, mais, avoue le pho­ La question de l'« urbicide » images mécaniques n'est donc pas à rechercher dans d'hypothétiques vertus morales mais tographe, « dominé par mon espoir d'une Tur­ Comparant les vues satellites de 2014 à celles dans sa capacité de se remettre en question ! quie modèle de la démocratie, je ne voulais pas de 2017, Émeric Lhuisset recrée cette sensation voir ». Le projet « Quand les nuages parleront, d'absence que l'on peut ressentir dans ces Les effets de réel de la fiction se nourrissent de sources extra-photographiques. Entre geste ar­ en contrepoint du photojournalisme » est né de villes, en découpant méthodiquement sur les tistique et usage de documents bruts, les nou­ ce déni personnel. cartes les parties disparues. Ainsi à Diyarbakir, capitale du Kurdistan turc, classée patrimoine velles pratiques jouent de la multiplicité des matériaux, certains chargés de sens, d'autres Immense, la première image présentant un mondial de l'Unesco, à Yüksekova, Sirnak, Si- moins référentiels. Les photographies s'enri­ paysage a priori anodin trouve une explication lopi, Cizre, Nusaybin., théâtres d'affronte­ dans la suivante à laquelle elle a servi de décor ments entre les rebelles du PKK et les forces chissent de pratiques socialisées et de réfé­ rences diverses. En ce sens, elles sont lisibles avant que le photographe n'en gomme un turques entre 2015 et 2016. groupe de combattants kurdes. Armes à la parce qu'investies par le spectateur qui se re­ main dans des nuages de fumée, il les a invités L'exposition pose la question de l'« urbicide », trouve dans un espace où l'objectivité côtoie l'invention. Elles remplissent une fonction cog­ à rejouer leur réalité en zone de conflit dans une cet anéantissement de l'urbain et de l'architec­ nitive au même titre que le document brut en mise en scène de peinture classique. « Nous ture pour faire disparaître une culture. Hasan- sommes dans la construction d'une image keyf et sa cité antique devrait bientôt être se revendiquant du possible. On retrouva là l'idée du vraisemblable, ce laboratoire de la icône. Quelle est la part du réel ?, interroge cet engloutie par le Tigre à la suite de la construc­ pensée susceptible d'informer notre expé­ enseignant en art contemporain et géopolitique tion d'un barrage, et après des simulacres de à Sciences-Po. Une guerre sans image existe-t- fouilles archéologiques à coups de bulldozer. rience.» elle ? Telle est la question face à la tentative d'ef­

81 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti

• bianet 30/08/2019 BAGIMSIZ iLETiSiM AGI Erdogan: We Desire a More Pluralistic Turkey with a Freer Press

resident and ruling Justice and Devel­ opment Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tay­ yip Erdogan made a speech at the Pprize-awarding ceremony of Radio and Tel­ evision Journalists Association in Istanbul yesterday (August 29).

Addressing a series of issues including the national and international media and Gezi Ü «tecHeri Park protests, Erdogan indicated that "they want a country not only with a strong econ­ omy, defense, trade, infrastructure and di­ plomacy, but also with a strong democracy and freer press."

News and Internet media

Referring to the "stunning progress in com­ munication technologies", Erdogan said, "These new media tools come with very se­ rious risks and dangers. In no periods of our lives were we subjected to so much disinfor­ mation. Today, the dominance of lies and provocative news on social media, where there are no regulations, is many times more than the truths." "In Gezi incidents, with so many fabricated "The steps that we take in the direction of news that have nothing to do with our economy, democracy, counter-terrorism and Indicating that "the Internet creates a large country, they tried to provoke our nation, protection of regional peace and stability are dump of information with its own media especially our youth. Our streets were set on not reported in the international media in and social networks", he indicated, "The fire. The goods of our store keepers were the way it deserves. true information and news based on ev­ plundered. Municipality busses with pas­ idence is being gradually replaced with in­ sengers on board were set on fire." "We do not only want a Turkey with a formation based on presumptions, strong economy, defense, trade, infrastruc­ speculations, distortions and manipulation." International media ture and diplomacy. We also want a country with a stronger democracy. We desire a Gezi Park protests Erdogan also stated the following about the more pluralistic Turkey with a freer press. international media: We desire a press where where all ideas are Within this context, Erdogan also referred to represented no matter how dissident they the Gezi Park protests: "We saw that all together how the foreign are as long as they are not involved in vio­ media outlets that define themselves as free lence and insult." "Fabricated news do not only threaten and objective turned into a propaganda ma­ people, but today's democracies as well. chine instead of doing journalism when it Indicating that "Turkey can compromise Like several countries of the world, Turkey comes to Turkey. We still remember the neither its freedom of press, nor national se­ and democracy of Turkey are not free from news reported on the night of July 15 as a curity", Erdogan said, "For that reason, we this threat. The incidents of the last six years proof of shame. We witness the disappoint­ have to carry on our path by striking a bal­ have, unfortunately, manifested this harsh ment felt by the failure of the coup attempt ance between freedom and security." reality for many times. on headlines. (EMK/SD)

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